Luckily, the lamppost caught my fall.
“Darn it, Leo,” I said in exasperation. “Breaking my neck right now won’t help anyone.”
Leo wasn’t even looking my way. His green gaze was glued to the stone statue. Gargoyle Gary was in the same position, with his claws hanging over the base and a scowl that could scare the children.
He’s back! Raven, Raven! Gargoyle Gary is back, but I know for a fact that he caused that wacky hairdresser to wreck her car. This is all his doing! I told you that we should have rounded up some C4.
I could hear Liam calling out to everyone who had gathered around that Candy was just fine and hadn’t been hurt in the accident. A round of cheers went up when she lifted a hand in acknowledgement, appearing kind of sheepish that she was the center of attention.
Don’t you see? It was all a diversion for Gargoyle Gary to…well, I don’t know what that monstrosity was doing. I was staring the creature right in the eye when I witnessed the wacky hairdresser lose control of her car. That split second was all it took, Raven. Gargoyle Gary was no longer on the base, but no one noticed, because they were all too busy rubbernecking.
“You don’t think…” I slowly looked over my shoulder, wondering if the shops in town were still intact. “No. He couldn’t have had time to do anything horrible, right?”
I caught sight of Bree and Rye standing near one of the tables, their gazes glued to the scene. Leo was right in that everyone had been distracted, but at least Gary hadn’t done any harm to Bree. I automatically glanced down at the sidewalk, but it had been cleared from any snowflakes that might have stuck to the cement.
The muffled sound of my phone told me that I once again had an incoming call. I hadn’t even returned Harry’s previous call, so I figured it was either him or my mother. It could also have been Heidi, because she’d texted a few times to get an update on the day’s events.
We are dealing with a radical, magical creation of epic proportions, Raven! Who knows what Gargoyle Gary can do in a short amount of time, but I can definitely get my paws on a stick or two of dynamite. Who’s with me?
Chapter Eleven
It’s a shame how you won’t allow anyone to have any fun. It’s time to own it, Raven—you are a buzzkill.
“We’re not blowing up the stone statue,” I exclaimed as I waited for Liam to give final directions to Newt. “What we need to do is casually stroll down the main thoroughfare and make sure that all the storefronts are in one piece. Mom and Beetle are on their way back to town now, so they’ll help, as well.”
It had taken another twenty minutes before Newt had arrived on the scene. Candy had handed him her car keys and was taken home by a friend who had been at the bakery at the time of the accident. I’d managed to get Liam alone for two seconds to give him his jacket and explain Leo’s side of the story. He’d basically nodded his understanding and indicated that Leo and I should wait for him before heading off to search for clues.
By the time the good ol’ sheriff decides to join us, my paws are going to be frozen to the ground. Remember what happened last month when a tuft of my fur got stuck to a spot of ice? I really don’t want to go through that humiliation again, especially with Gargoyle Gary looking our way. He is looking our way, isn’t he?
Leo and I had decided to stand across the street, near the pet shop. Our position gave us a better view on what was taking place all around us.
Chaos. Utter chaos.
“That’s not true,” I exclaimed behind my scarf. I’d put on an extra layer of thermal gear underneath my clothes, but I was still quite cold. I’d actually had to make a quick stop into the teashop, where I’d left my earmuffs. “It’s quite calm right now. Look, Newt is leaving. Candy was already taken home, and everyone has gone about their business. I’m starving, but I’d rather check out the storefronts with Liam before we head back to the diner.”
“Raven!” It was impossible not to recognize my mother’s shrill voice as she yelled out the driver’s side window of Beetle’s 1972 blood red VW super beetle. Unfortunately, she was in the passenger seat. Poor Beetle. “We’re here, and we found the most amazing home in one of the older neighborhoods. It has an old-fashioned, walk-in attic and everything!”
Why not announce to the entire world that my VVBFF is a vampire? It’s not like we don’t have enough on our plate as it is. Speaking of plate, I sure hope that my supplier brought me a fresh, heaping mound of blueberry-filled edibles. I’m going to need all the mental antioxidants if you’re forcing me to be in your mother’s company for any length of time.
“Go ahead and park,” I called out, noticing that Beetle gave me a short wave of understanding. His white hair was going every which away as the coastal breeze snuck into the window as he began rolling it up with the handle. The VW was quite old, much like Beetle himself. “Leo, did you see Ted at the bakery?”
The lump of clay is sitting at one of the tables with the walking, talking, laughing plastic golem as if we’re not about to be invaded by a gaggle of gargoyles. Don’t worry, though. I have one ear facing north and one ear facing south. They won’t be able to set foot in Paramour Bay without me knowing it first.
Leo’s talk of excellent hearing had my thoughts turning to Harry. He’d tried to call me twice now, and I took the moment of peace that we were experiencing and removed my glove to retrieve my phone.
“I’m going to give Harry a call. Maybe he found something in those mountains of grimoires that his family has collected over the years.” I placed the call and waited for him to answer. “Leo, go over to the bakery and let Rye know that we plan on making sure that all the storefronts are okay.”
Why do I always have to do the grunt work?
“We’re here,” my mother replied a little breathlessly. She had on a long red dress coat with a black scarf and matching gloves. The black ankle boots that she was wearing were not really conducive to the cold temperature, not that she seemed to mind. “I can’t wait for you to see this house, Raven. I chose three for Beetle to look at, but I made sure to save the best for last. Get this—it technically used to be the old schoolhouse. Someone bought the place and renovated it into the most charming yet elegant home that I have ever laid eyes on. The best part? It has a bell tower! Count Cuddles is going to be in seventh heaven.”
You know what, Raven? I think I’ve changed my mind about the gaggle of gargoyles taking over the town. Being mauled to death might be more preferrable than listening to—
“Mom, what Leo is trying to say is that while we are very happy to hear that you found your forever home, we still have a gargoyle problem on our hands,” I pointed out, having to disconnect the line before Harry could pick up. It would have been impossible to handle two separate conversations, especially with Leo in the mix. “We believe it’s possible that the gargoyle caused Candy to wreck her car into the back of Rye’s truck so that Gary could do the job that he was sent here to do…which we aren’t quite sure what that is at the moment. Maybe Gary thought that he could finally get Bree alone when everyone poured out of the bakery to see if Candy was okay. Rye, Ted, and Justine remained inside with her, though.”
“And you’re telling me that you feel this gargoyle took his frustration out on one of the shops on the main thoroughfare of town,” Mom said, her skepticism coming across loud and clear. She focused her attention across the street to where the gargoyle sat on his throne big as life. “How much energy do you sense when you’re near it, Raven?”
“That’s the thing, Mom,” I exclaimed, still flummoxed that the palm of my hand didn’t warm or give me a warning that the stone statue was a danger to us or our town. “I don’t get any indication that the gargoyle poses a threat of any sort.”
My tufts of fur now have icicles hanging off them. I’m not sure when you thought I turned into a polar bear, but I most certainly am not cut out for this cold weather. A little bit of C4 might actually warm up the town, don’t you think?
By this time, Newt had driven awa
y with Candy’s car. Rye had waited until everyone else had returned inside the bakery with Bree before joining Liam outside to talk about the damage to his truck. Beetle had also walked over to the crosswalk to see if there was anything that he could do to help.
“Well, leave this to me.”
On second thought, forget about the C4. We can use your mother as a sacrifice to the gargoyle gods. She should suffice. As a matter of fact, they should pay us.
Mom didn’t even bother walking in the direction of the crosswalk. Instead, she sauntered right across the middle of the street toward the stone statue as if she was invincible. I’d forgotten to put my right glove back on after hanging up the phone, and my fingers were now as cold as Leo’s tufts of fur.
“I’m calling Harry back,” I muttered, almost afraid to look as my mother finally came face to face with Gary. “Oh, this isn’t going to be good.”
I was thinking the opposite. My New Year’s resolution might actually come to fruition this year.
I’d already pressed the number to the library, knowing that Harry would still be at work. Unfortunately, the ringing wasn’t enough of a distraction to take my attention off the confrontation about to occur across the street.
“Harry!” I exclaimed with a sigh of relief once I heard his deep voice. “Please tell me that you found something in those grimoires regarding gargoyles.”
Leo and I watched in horror as Mom began to take off her glove.
She was not about to touch the statue, was she?
It’s finally happening, Raven! King Kong versus Godzilla…right here in Paramour Bay!
I stomped my foot so that he would know I wasn’t happy with his commentary.
“There is quite a story about those stone statues, Raven,” Harry revealed, causing my hope to soar that we could get this all sorted out in the next few moments…preferably before my mother was sent soaring into the afterlife.
“Harry, that is great news!”
Here it comes, here it comes!
My mother had slowly lifted her arm and ever so gently rested her hand on top of the gargoyle’s head.
“…no gargoyles in the supernatural realm, just as we originally thought.”
Why is nothing happening? Raven? Your mother is still standing there. What went wrong?
“Wait,” I replied to Harry in confusion. “Did you say that gargoyles don’t truly exist? That they are simply archeological designs?”
You tell that hairy book addict that I did not imagine that monstrosity disappearing and reappearing at will! I know what I saw, Raven. My mental antioxidants wouldn’t let me down like that.
“I believe you,” I murmured in reassurance, although I was finally getting a sense of where the conversation might be heading. I then spoke a little louder into my phone. “I can tell by the tone of your voice that you found a connection, though.”
You’re getting a sense of…
Leo’s gasp of excitement was unmistakable, and I found myself stomping my boot once again.
This is amazing! I’m still calling him Gargoyle Gary, though. Do you think he’ll swallow your mother whole? Oh, this is even better than I imagined!
“Gary is a stone golem, isn’t he?” I asked tentatively, hoping beyond hope that I was wrong. “Someone dabbled in construct magic, a very specialized form of combined animation and conjuration magics, thus creating a stone golem to…”
I couldn’t even finish my sentence.
Either the stone golem was created to intentionally hurt Bree or destroy the town. It had to be one of the two, and now my mother was standing directly in front of the monstrosity as if she could take on the strength of something so powerful.
“I’ve got to go, Harry,” I replied hastily, shoving the phone into the pocket of my jacket as I began to run across the street. “Mom! Mom, stop!”
Yep. You’re a buzzkill, Raven. No sense of adventure at all.
Chapter Twelve
I knew all along that your mother was safe, Raven. I’m not that heartless.
Mom, Beetle, Rye, and Liam were now all sitting at a large table in the back of the bakery. I’d just gotten back from paying our bill at the diner. Leo technically was only allowed near the front, so he’d gone invisible to join the conversation. I’d just given Heidi a call to let her know what was going on, not that we had any idea what we were going to do about our situation.
Hence, the informal meeting.
“We need to talk a bit lower,” I warned all of them as I reclaimed my seat next to Liam. “Bree is casting us some serious side-eye glances.”
You don’t think that has anything to do with your mother basically molesting the gargoyle outside for everyone to see? And your mother’s explanation that she was in love with the decoration really didn’t seem to fly with the cupcake lady.
Speaking of glances, I was in the chair that faced the entrance. The gargoyle was still sitting atop his throne as if we hadn’t figured out that he was a magical entity. As Leo had just mentioned, we hadn’t been able to stop Mom from continually touching the granite features of the statue.
Fortunately, the stone golem never moved an inch.
It was as if the thing was actively trying to prove us wrong.
Or he’s waiting on reinforcements. I keep telling you, gargoyles probably run around in gaggles. It’s a thing.
“Let me go smooth things over with her.” Rye stood from the table, frowning in a manner that I’d never seen before. His feelings for Bree were obvious, and it was clear that he was experiencing guilt over the fact that he’d put her in harm’s way. “I’ll say we’re all talking about Candy’s accident.”
There you go again, making me feel bad for the cheating wizard. I like it better when I can complain about him.
I really wanted to tell Rye that it wasn’t his fault that Bree had been sent the stone statue, but I could already tell that words wouldn’t matter at the moment. The woman who he was falling in love with was in danger, and he’d opted not to tell her. Not only was he keeping her in the dark about the threat on her life and potentially the town, but he was also keeping a big part of himself a secret from her.
Sweet angel of mercy, would you stop? I can’t take it anymore, and I don’t want to be caught attempting to console the cheating wizard. It would completely ruin my reputation.
“Rye explained to us the situation with this Kyle McGrath, and it stands to reason that he was the one who created the stone golem to get his revenge on Rye,” my mother stated as she wrapped her hands around what now had to be a lukewarm cup of coffee. “The wizard must not have stopped practicing his magic, because he had to be quite strong in his ability to cast construct magic without leaving an imprint of his own energy. Also, the golem has the capability to go into a stasis form and remain inactive. It’s all very impressive.”
Of course, the Mistress of the Dark would be impressed that we’re about to have a gaggle of gargoyles descend upon us like a herd of wild elephants. I should change my nickname for her to Queen of Chaos.
“Indeed, it is very impressive,” Beetle reiterated, reaching over and patting my mother’s arm in agreement. “Very impressive. I do wonder about something, though. The only two other golems that we know of were created to be companions. Could we be reading the situation wrong? Could we?”
Beetle had a tendency to repeat his words. We were all used to it, and it was actually an endearing quality once you got used to it.
It’s more endearing after I’ve consumed my blueberry-filled edibles.
“The destruction done to Monty’s hardware shop speaks to the contrary,” Liam pointed out, his intense gaze trained on the entrance of the bakery. He’d been keeping an eye on the gargoyle as if it would show signs of life while we were watching…which it wouldn’t. It somehow sensed when it was being monitored. “I should join Ted and Justine so you all can speak openly. Keep me posted.”
Tell the good ol’ sheriff that I’ll step into the deputy role for the time being. I
’ll keep an eye on our enemy.
Liam dropped a kiss on top of my head after he’d stood up from the table. It wasn’t long before he was out the door, pausing for a moment as he stared cautiously at the stone statue. He’d accepted that the supernatural existed, but he didn’t like the fact that the odds were uneven. His protective nature went against any unseen forces.
Surprisingly, Liam turned back around and opened the door. He motioned to Rye that he would like to have a word, though I highly doubted his request was due to Candy’s accident.
“Leo, go see what they’re talking about,” I said softly.
If you’re going to be issuing orders left and right, at least use my proper title.
“Mr. Leo doesn’t suit you,” I responded with a half-smile, wishing that we weren’t in such a dire situation. A stone golem could be very dangerous when left to its own devices. “Come on. This is important.”
Fine, but I’m only doing this so that monstrosity doesn’t interfere with my plans for the squirrelpocalypse. My grid search of the area is almost complete, and I should know where the neighborhood squirrels stash their hibernation provisions any day.
Mom, Beetle, and I fell quiet as we waited to receive word on what Liam could be saying to Rye. Bree was on the other side of the bakery, wiping down tables and getting ready to close up shop. I figured we might as well pass the time until Leo returned.
“How were sales at the teashop today?” I asked Beetle, who was sitting directly across from me.
“Good, good.”
“Any problems?”
“No,” Beetle replied with a shake of his head. “No, not at all.”
My mother let out a slight groan of frustration, most likely wanting to be anywhere but here. She and Beetle had finally found their forever home, but it might not matter if we couldn’t gain control of our current situation.
I’m back. It appears that the good ol’ sheriff was inquiring about enemies. He requested that the cheating wizard make a list of anyone who would have reason to hurt him in some manner. Now, where’s my payment for services rendered? A mound of blueberry-filled edibles will do just fine.
Stony Blend (A Paramour Bay Cozy Paranormal Mystery Book 16) Page 9