Spirited Away

by Lena Gregory

  And worst of all was Cass’s grim premonition; the worst of it was yet to come.

  Chapter Three

  The police officers who’d shown up at Mystical Musings—with Luke and Tank noticeably absent—had given Emmett and Dirk a stern warning about any further public confrontation and demanded they both go straight home and cool off.

  Thankfully, the diner was open twenty-four hours a day during tourist season, and Cass, Bee, and Stephanie had cleaned up the mess at Mystical Musings, then agreed to meet up after Cass spent some time soothing Beast and settling him at home.

  Cass second-guessed that decision as she strode across the diner parking lot with Bee and Stephanie on either side of her. Streetlamps bathed the parking lot in a soft welcoming glow, and a warm drizzle barely cooled her burning face. “Are you guys sure this is a good idea?”

  Bee hooked an arm through hers. “Better to face the masses and get it over with than allow the gossip mill to get up and running without you making a public appearance first.”

  “I guess.” She took a deep shuddering breath and braced herself. “Was that as disastrous as I think it was?”

  Bee and Stephanie glanced at each other but neither answered.

  Cass cringed. “Yeah, that’s about what I expected. Do you think there’s any way to salvage my reputation?”

  “I don’t see why not.” Bee shrugged. “Look on the bright side. At least you finally got something right when you said Aiden was in love with someone else.”

  A small seed of triumph tried to surface. “You think?”

  “Are you kidding me?” Bee harrumphed. “Did you see the look on his face when he stared longingly across the room at that other woman?”

  The beginning of Cass’s good mood deflated. “Yeah, but did you see the look on his date’s face? I feel horrible for hurting her, and I honestly didn’t mean it. I don’t even know why I blurted that out.”

  Bee jogged up the steps to the entrance and held the door open for Stephanie and then Cass.

  Cass stopped beside him. “I’m sorry if I ruined your chances of working with Aiden.”

  “No worries, hon. You mean way more to me than Aiden Hargrove ever could, even if he is supposedly worth millions.” He winked and let the door fall shut as he propelled her into the crowded diner.

  Only one thing could explain such a sizeable crowd at that time on a Sunday night, even during the peak of tourist season: good dirt. Since Cass recognized several customers from her reading, she also had to assume she was the night’s headline.

  The look of sympathy in the hostess’s eyes as she greeted them with a huge smile only confirmed Cass’s suspicions that, despite Bee’s hopes, the Bay Island rumor mill was already up and running. “Hi, guys. Just the three of you tonight?”

  “Yes, thanks, Gabby, and would you mind giving us a booth in the back?” He pointed toward the room at the back of the diner, separated from the main dining area by a glass wall with a lighthouse scene etched into it.

  Cass shot him a grateful look.

  “No problem.” She gestured for them to follow her. “We opened the back room about a half hour ago.”

  Not long after the police were called to the shop. Apparently, rumors flew fast and furious on Bay Island.

  Gabby led the way through the diner.

  Customers looked up as Cass crossed the room, some averting their gazes, others offering a smile or a wave. None approached them, which wasn’t entirely unusual, but Cass couldn’t help feeling the undercurrent buzzing through the room. She’d be happy to escape to the small room behind the glass wall. At least there were only a handful of tables back there, of which only three were occupied, by people who paid no attention to them.

  “Here you go.” Gabby seated them in a corner booth and laid their menus on the table. “Enjoy.”

  Stephanie and Cass slid into one side of the booth, facing a view of the parking lot through the rain-spattered window. Bee took the other side, his attention focused out over the room and through the doorway into the main part of the diner, no doubt trying to assess the damage done to her reputation. Bee could home in on gossip like a bloodhound on a steak.

  “Do me a favor, guys. Order me an omelet or something. I want to run to the ladies’ room.” Cass started to slide out of the booth.

  Stephanie lay a hand on Cass’s, a bit too perceptive, as usual. “Want me to go with you?”

  “Thanks, but I’ll be okay.” She hurried across the room to the restrooms in the far corner. If the restroom had been on the other side of the diner, she probably wouldn’t have braved the stares to go, but as it was, she needed a minute to herself.

  Thankfully, all three stall doors stood open and the restroom was empty. Cass dropped onto one of the two chairs in the sitting area and stared into the mirror. Her appearance definitely reflected her mood.

  A shelf holding tissues, baby wipes, and a basket filled with trial-size soaps, lotions, and hand sanitizers ran along the wall beneath the mirror. She yanked a baby wipe out of a half-filled package and swiped the smears of black mascara and eyeliner from beneath her eyes, then rummaged through her bag for blush. As it was, she looked about as pale as the ghosts she supposedly talked to.

  Not that anyone would believe she could communicate with spirits after word spread about tonight’s debacle.

  After a few swipes of blush, she smoothed gloss on her lips, then gave up. It would have to do. She left her hair alone. No sense even trying to comb out the knotted mess. At least the sloppy knot toward the back of her head appeared somewhat stylish. If she attempted to do anything with it, she’d probably only make matters worse.

  She threw her stuff back into her bag, turned away from the mirror, and pulled out her cell phone. Not that she expected Luke to answer, but she could really use a little comfort just then, and the sound of his deep Southern drawl would offer that.

  After three rings, the call went to his voice mail. She started to hang up but didn’t want him to think anything was wrong. “Hey, Luke, it’s me. Just wanted to say hello and let you know everything was all right at the shop. I figured you’d hear about the incident there and didn’t want you to worry.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, she hung up. What else could she say?

  The restroom door swung open and a woman strode through holding a little girl’s wrist, trying to avoid hitting anything with the child’s ketchup-covered hand. She shot Cass an exasperated smile and headed for the sink.

  Since Cass couldn’t think of any other way to procrastinate, she hauled herself to her feet, lifted her chin, and headed out to face the inevitable stares and whispers. She couldn’t avoid it, not in a town as small as Bay Island, so she figured she may as well face it head-on and move past it. Hopefully, the next juicy tidbit would come along soon, and her troubles would be forgotten. Then she could work on restoring her reputation.

  She offered Bee and Stephanie her best smile as she returned to the booth.

  “There you are.” Bee leaned back and hooked his arm over the seat back. “I was beginning to think I’d have to come looking for you.”

  Cass lifted a brow. “In the ladies’ room?”

  “Honey, there is nowhere I wouldn’t go if you needed me.”

  And just like that, everything was okay. She would need to work hard to restore her good name and keep Mystical Musings up and running, but the people—and puppy—who truly mattered would love her and stand by her no matter what. “You’re the best, Bee.”

  “Yeah, well, don’t you forget it.” He patted her hand and winked at Stephanie. “We ordered you a vegetable skillet with a side of fries and rye toast. I hope that’s okay.”

  Her stomach churned. She’d be lucky to get anything down. “It’s perfect, thanks.”

  “So . . .” Stephanie shifted to face her more directly. “What happened tonight?”

  Cass lifted her hands. “I have no idea.”

  But that wasn’t true. She’d been off even before she’d s
tarted the reading, should really have canceled.

  “I’m sorry I was late. I had to meet with a potential client, and he was only here for the day.” If her eye roll was any indication, she wasn’t too excited about the prospect.

  Stephanie didn’t usually have trouble with clients. Most, especially those native to Bay Island, trusted her. “You don’t think it’ll work out?”

  “Well, he hired me, so that’s a start.” She laughed. “But if the interview was any indication about what it’ll be like to work for Calvin Morris, he won’t last long.”

  “So, why’d you agree to take him?” Bee asked.

  “Adoption is more expensive that we realized.” Her big brown eyes sparkled, as they always did when she spoke of the baby she and her husband, Tank, were trying to adopt. She pulled her long brown hair back off her face. “So I’m taking on whatever extra work I can get.”

  “How’s everything going?” Cass traced a finger around Mystical Musings’ ad on her place mat. Many clients said they’d seen her ad there. Maybe she should splurge for a bigger ad, something more noticeable.

  “Slow.” She laughed. “Adoption is definitely more of a process than I realized, but it’ll be so worth it.”

  “Of course it will, dear,” Bee said. “The things we treasure most are the things we’ve worked the hardest to achieve.”

  “Very true,” Cass agreed. “And there’s never a need to apologize about being late, Steph. I appreciate that you make it to every reading.”

  “I wouldn’t miss a single one.”

  Cass slouched lower in the seat. “If there are any more after tonight.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Bee leaned forward, clasped his hands on the table, and lowered his voice. “After tonight, you’ll probably have standing room only at your next reading. No one will dare miss it.”

  That could be true. It was always possible people would show up just to see if she’d mess up again. At least then she’d have a chance to prove herself. “I hope you’re right.”

  “Of course I am. I’m always right.”

  Stephanie pointed a finger at him. “Okay, now you’re pushing it.”

  He shot her a grin. “I was wondering which one of you would call me on it first.”

  The waitress arrived with their food. “I heard about what happened tonight, Cass. I’m sorry.”

  Cass leaned back so Elaina could put her plates in front of her. What could she say? “Thank you.”

  Thankfully, Bee saved her having to say anything more. “So, tell me, how bad is it?”

  Elaina shrugged and slid a plate with a burger and a huge pile of fries in front of him. “Mostly people are talking about Emmett and Dirk going at it again.”

  “What do you mean, again?” Cass had grown up on Bay Island but had left to go to college and had lived in the city for seventeen years, so she wasn’t as up-to-date on the regular goings-on as she could be.

  “Those two go at it every once in a while. I don’t know what started the feud between them, I was too young at the time, but supposedly it had something to do with Emmett’s wife.”

  “That’s what I heard too,” Bee said. “Though nothing specific. No one seems to know the gritty details.”

  Elaina set Stephanie’s grilled cheese sandwich down, asked if they needed anything else, then excused herself and hurried off.

  Bee slid some of his fries over and poured a big puddle of ketchup on his plate.

  Cass frowned. “I thought you were eating light tonight.”

  He lifted his top bun. “Do you see bacon on this burger, hon?”

  Nope. No bacon, but the two fat, greasy, fried onion rings adorning the burger weren’t part of any diet Cass had ever heard of. “You’re out of your mind, Bee.”

  “So I’ve been told.” He took a big bite, chewed and swallowed. “Now, what was going on with you tonight?”

  “I already told you I don’t know.” She pushed a couple of home fries around her dish with her fork.

  “I know.” Bee slid the salt and pepper across the table to her and gestured to her plate. “I mean before the reading. Something was bothering you.”

  With her stomach still in knots, Cass set her fork on her plate. “I don’t know what’s been bothering me lately. It’s like I have a bad feeling in my gut.”

  Stephanie stopped with her hand partway to her mouth and lowered her sandwich back onto her plate. “Like when the shadows have crossed your vision in the past?”

  The few times a shadow had crossed her vision during readings in the past, a death had soon followed. “Not exactly, but something . . . I don’t know. It’s like a premonition or something. A feeling in my gut. Ever since I woke up this morning, it feels as if . . . something’s trying to get through to me. If I didn’t know better, I’d think someone was trying to contact me.”

  “Hold up.” Bee held his hand out in front of him, palm toward her. “You can just stop right there.”

  Cass paused.

  “You mean contact as in . . .” Bee wiggled his fingers. “Woo-woo contact? Because if that’s the case, I do not want to hear another word.”

  Cass couldn’t help laughing. For someone who didn’t believe in the supernatural, Bee would go ten miles out of his way to avoid it. “I can’t make any sense of it, but I do know something is wrong.”

  And it involves me. Or, at least, it will.

  Of that, she was absolutely certain.

  Chapter Four

  Cass sat in her car at the diner parking lot exit debating which way to go. She should go straight home. At the same time, she really wanted to see Luke. The nagging sense that something was wrong begged her to check on him. She’d just left Bee and Stephanie, and they were fine, and she’d only dropped Beast off at home a little while ago, and he’d been his usually happy self once she’d spent some time soothing him after all the excitement. Of course, he could probably have eaten half the kitchen in less than the hour and a half she’d been gone, but still . . .

  Her gut was begging her to swing past the hotel, and she’d gotten very good at trusting her instincts since she’d come back to Bay Island. She’d already left Luke a message, but he might think it was too late to call her back. She’d go by the hotel and see if his car was there. If it was, she could decide whether or not to call him. If she was going to get dumped, she didn’t need to wait until morning. She could just get it over with tonight and sleep in.

  With that decided, Cass turned up the air-conditioning, flipped the radio to a soft rock station, and headed toward the Bay Side Hotel. She navigated the dark road carefully, enjoying the drive, not in any real hurry since she was too jittery to go home and go to bed. She probably should have declined that cup of coffee after dinner.

  Moonlight glinted off the bay, rippling across the surface wherever the thick stand of woods opened up enough to allow a peek. A bright glow lit the night ahead of her, and Cass slowed. She couldn’t remember ever noticing the glow from the lighthouse on that end of the island from this section of road. Of course, she didn’t often drive that stretch of road at night. But, what else could it be?

  The moon wasn’t that bright, and she wasn’t yet close enough to see the lights from the hotel parking lot, but there wasn’t much else around—other than Emmett’s garage across the street from the hotel.

  As she crept closer to Emmett’s shop, pulses of blue and red light streaked the night, dashing all hopes that the light was radiating from any innocent source. She rounded a curve, and his parking lot came into view. Police cars, their lights flashing in a dizzying strobe effect, filled the lot. An ambulance stood idling nearby, its lights off. Fear for Emmett and his teenage son, Joey, sat like a rock in her gut.

  Cass pulled off the road and parked on the shoulder. She ripped the keys out of the ignition as she swung her door open and pocketed them as she ran across the street searching frantically for any sign of Emmett or Joey. She weaved between the police cars, all Bay Island had from the look of it, as well a
s a variety of cars Emmett had lined up throughout the lot—some belonging to customers, a few for sale.

  As she rounded the front of the ambulance, she spotted Emmett toward the back of the parking lot, in what would have been a dark corner if the entire place wasn’t lit up like Grand Central Station. He stood with Luke and Tank, gesturing wildly.

  When Luke caught sight of her hurrying toward them, he frowned then checked his watch and held up a finger for her to wait a minute.

  She stopped and leaned against an aging station wagon, her heart hammering painfully.

  Three people she couldn’t recognize with their backs to her clustered around a sedan with its trunk open, not far from where Luke and Tank were deep in conversation with Emmett. One of the men snapped a few pictures, then squatted down, pointed at something near the back tire, and shot off another series of pictures.

  Another of the men leaned into the trunk, but Cass couldn’t tell what he was doing, and she couldn’t see into the trunk from where she stood.

  Emmett’s raised voice pulled her attention from the car, the anger in his tone carrying to her across the lot but the words lost somewhere along the way.

  She inched closer, searching the area for a familiar face, anyone who might be willing to tell her what was going on.

  Emmett ripped off the red baseball cap he always wore and shoved his wild mass of graying hair away from his face. “I already told you! My dogs started barking. I came out to see why. He was out here looking for a fight, but I didn’t give him one. If I got arrested, Joey would be left alone, so I turned my back on him and went inside. That’s it.”

  Tank said something Cass couldn’t make out, the volume of his voice much lower than Emmett’s.

  Emmett slammed the hat back on his head, smoothed his hand over his goatee, then propped his hands on his hips and stared straight at Tank. “Why would I have called the cops if I killed him?”

  That brought Cass up short. Killed whom? Thoughts of Joey flashed through her mind, but there was no way in the world Emmett would be standing there so calmly if something had happened to his son. While his anger was unmistakable, Emmett showed no signs of grief.