“Let’s go, Loki,” I said, crossing the room and heading for the kitchen.
It was quiet as I walked toward Angela’s office, my steps slowing as I approached her door. I knocked softly then entered to find her seated behind her desk. Loki remained in the hall, hovering patiently by the door.
Angela’s usually starched uniform was wrinkled, and she wore hardly any makeup. She looked exhausted, buried underneath a mountain of paperwork. The phone on her desk rang, but she ignored it, pinching the bridge of her nose and wincing as if the shrill tone gave her a headache.
“Hi, Angela. I’m here to return my uniform.” I removed the folded garments from my bag and placed them on the corner of her desk.
The phone finally stopped ringing, and she sighed, gesturing for me to take a seat.
“Elle, thanks for coming in. Sorry about the mess. It’s been a rough week, as you know. I have your check somewhere under this pile.” She shifted a stack of invoices and riffled through a bundle of envelopes.
“How are you holding up?” I asked, taking the envelope she passed across the desk.
“The phone will not stop ringing. It’s one problem after another. I don’t know when we’ll be back up and running. Hopefully soon. Rescheduling everything has been a nightmare.”
“I can imagine.”
“How about you? I’m sorry for the way things ended. I hope you understand.”
“Of course. It was my fault, and I acted inappropriately. But you’re right—it’s been a tough week. I had a class with Professor Roberts, so I knew her personally.” I twisted the envelope in my hand and met Angela’s gaze. “Had you met her before the event?”
Angela frowned and leaned back in her chair. “You know, it’s funny. I should have met her, but I didn’t have the opportunity. I take a couple of night classes at the university. I’m working my way toward a degree in hospitality, and Professor Roberts taught one of my general education requirements.”
“She did?” I acted surprised, leaning forward with interest.
“Well, she was supposed to. At the last minute, she was replaced by another instructor. We were told Professor Roberts accepted a project outside the university. Professor Henry took her place. In fact, Julia was the point of contact for planning the award ceremony. She signed off on everything.”
Even the enormous ice sculpture? Interesting.
“Did you see what happened the night of the party?” I asked, my voice dropping to a hushed tone. I hoped I sounded as if I were digging for gossip and not clues.
“No. I wasn’t in the reception room when the lights went out. After I met with you, John from security called me into his office. There was an electrical issue with the cameras, and he was worried the disruption would spread through the system and affect the event. A few minutes later, we lost power, and I heard a scream. I made my way back to the reception room and called for help.”
Assuming I could confirm her story with security, Angela had an alibi. At least I could cross someone off my list. Plus, the information about Professor Henry had piqued my interest.
Picking up the bag at my feet, I tucked my paycheck into the side pocket and gave Angela a sympathetic look. “I should let you get back to work. It’s getting late, and I have a ton of homework.”
Angela nodded. “Take care, Elle.”
The phone rang again, causing Angela’s features to fall. She picked up the receiver and took a deep breath while I quietly slipped from the room. I tapped my side to signal Loki to follow me as I made my way deeper into the building toward security.
John was seated in front of a row of monitors. The glow from the screens and a small desk lamp were the only lights inside the small office. Each monitor covered a section of the club and golf course. John sipped from a steaming cup of coffee and punched a button, switching the screens to another view.
He heard my footsteps and looked up, waving when I stopped in the doorway. “Hey, Elle. Picking up your check?”
“Yeah, I was just in Angela’s office. She has her plate full. She was going to come and talk to you, but the phone rang. I told her I’d come and check with you instead. She’s wondering if there were any other issues with the cameras like there were on the night of the party. I think she’s going to put in a work order and have an electrician come out.”
John shook his head and crossed both arms over his chest. “No. Everything’s working fine. I showed her what was happening before we lost power, but it’s been fine since. If she needs me to talk to the electrician, I’d be happy to.”
“All right, I’ll let her know. Thanks.” I started to back away when he called out my name.
“Hey, Elle, one other thing.” A smirk curled his mouth. “Tell that friend of yours there are cameras out by the receiving dock. She might want to know in case she gets the urge to make out with any more of the bartenders.”
I blinked in shock. “You mean Zoe? Did you catch her on camera with one of the bartenders? Was it Jake?”
“Yeah, the guy with the buzz cut. I tell you, that last event sure was a crazy night. Sorry you won’t be sticking around.”
I nodded absently and waved as he went back to check the monitors. Zoe had been making out with Jake by the receiving dock? She’d never said a word! The two of them acted as if they barely knew each other even though Zoe had been lusting after him since her first day on the job.
What was going on?
Making my way back outside, I walked around the side of the building, keeping to the glow of the overhead lights. My mind spun. First Caden with his mysterious past, and now Zoe was sneaking around. I glanced at Loki and balled my fists on my hips.
“Are you keeping secrets from me? I mean it. If you’re really a squirrel, you’d better tell me right now.”
Loki wagged his tail and barked out an answer. I scrubbed a hand through my hair and continued walking back to my car. Loki didn’t follow.
“Come on, boy—let’s go.”
A growl rumbled in Loki’s throat, and his back tensed. Something cold slithered down my spine. I scanned the dark parking lot. Someone was out there. The feeling of being watched raised the hairs on the back of my neck.
“Hello? Is anyone there?”
No one answered.
My throat tightened as I picked up my pace, seeing my car just up ahead. A footstep thumped against the pavement, and I whirled, trying to pinpoint the sound.
“Who’s there?”
The wind sailed over my skin, chilling me to the core. I slid the sleeve up on my jacket and placed my hand over my demon bracelet. Another footstep echoed in the near-empty lot, but whoever was there remained in the shadows.
Above my head, the lights flickered. One of the bulbs shattered, sending shards of glass to the ground. I stumbled into a parked car, setting off the alarm.
Loki’s barks joined the sound of the wailing siren. My boots crunched over the fallen glass as I lurched for my car, jabbing the “unlock” button with my thumb. I scrambled inside and turned on the headlights. The white beam caught a figure darting into the dark.
I slammed the locks and sucked in a lungful of air. Loki was perched on the passenger seat, growling at something beyond the windshield. Then, as suddenly as he’d started, he grew quiet. The rumble died in his throat, and he settled warily onto the seat.
“Are they gone?”
Without waiting for an answer, I threw the car into drive and stepped on the gas. As I turned toward the route leading back to the main road, I glanced in my rearview mirror.
A lone figure stood at the edge of the lot, watching until my car rounded the curve.
Chapter 11
“You were stalked in the country club parking lot?” Caden stopped so abruptly I slammed into his back.
“What’s wrong with you?” I asked, rubbing the bridge of my nose while trying to keep my balance on the curb.
We were standing on the sidewalk just outside the beautiful tree-lined property of the Thornbridge Histo
rical Society. Caden had returned this morning after taking Professor Roberts’ cell phone to a friend. Hopefully, they’d be able to unlock it, and we’d have access to more of her private information.
In the meantime, we were checking out the lead at the historical society, and I had just finished catching Caden up to speed on my past few days. He hadn’t returned the favor, refusing to divulge where he’d been and with whom.
Which made his fierce reaction to my story completely unfair.
“What’s wrong with me? I gave you explicit instructions to wait until I got back to continue investigating, and you ignored them.”
“I did not ignore them. I had to return my uniform and pick up my last paycheck.”
He scoffed. “Yeah, from Angela, who you said was on your suspect list, which you also made in my absence.”
“True, I had some time to kill, but she’s not on the list anymore! She has an alibi. Besides, nothing happened beyond someone giving me a little scare. It was probably the groundskeeper.”
“The groundskeeper made the light bulbs explode?”
“Well, no . . . but, hey! I followed one of your instructions. I brought my demon blade, didn’t I?” Jiggling my wrist, I showed him the bracelet that now accompanied me everywhere I went.
Some of the fight left him, and he sighed. “I do like what you came up with. It’s clever.”
“I know, right? It’s super cute too. Do you think that hacker friend of yours could make me up a website? Somewhere on the paranormal web with a shopping cart built in.”
His features narrowed in exasperation. “Stop trying to change the subject. No, she can’t.”
I bristled. She, huh? Figures he spent the night with another girl. Bet she didn’t make him sleep on the floor. At least she was tech-savvy. I could be mildly jealous and still admire a smart woman.
“Fine! I’ll figure it out myself.” Balling my hands on my hips, I angled my head back and scowled. “I don’t know why you’re so secretive all the time when I’m expected to tell you my every move. And also, quit hoarding all the mystical talent!” I brushed past him, clipping his shoulder, and trudged toward the stone building.
“Hey—wait.” He reached for my forearm and smoothly tugged me back to his side. His touch lingered, warming a spot through the sleeve of my sweater. I stared up into his pale gaze, noting his frustration had melted into something dangerous to my emotions, almost bordering on empathy.
“What is it?” I straightened my spine, hardening myself against that look.
“I don’t boss you around because I’m some egomaniac who’s right all the time.” The corner of his mouth curved into a mischievous grin. “I mean, I am right all the time, but—”
“You are unbelievable!” I shrugged, trying to shake off his hand, but he tugged me closer. My stomach did a little flip as our bodies collided. It flipped again when his humor faded and our gazes locked.
“Elle, listen. You’re new at this, and the last thing I want is to see you get hurt. I’ve seen a lot. Hell, I’ve done too many things I regret, and my reputation has all the hits to show for it. But I’ve had a lot of time to think over the past few days, and this team we’re on . . . Oscar, Loki . . . you . . .” His voice turned to gravel as his hand slid up to cup the back of my neck. “You’re my second chance, and I will do whatever it takes not to mess that up.”
I swallowed around the tightness in my throat, feeling the constriction all the way down to my chest. How did he always know exactly what to say to knock me off-balance? His words didn’t ease my questions, but they made me wonder if I was being too hard on him.
We all kept secrets. As much as I hated knowing my best friend was hiding things from me, I was concealing a huge part of my life from her. How could I expect Caden to lay his life bare when I hadn’t earned that part of him?
My gazed softened. “One of these days, you’ll trust me enough to tell me what you’ve done in the past.”
“No, Graves, I don’t think I want you to know. You already resent me enough.”
“Funny—I could say the same about you. I guess we really did start on the wrong foot.” Trying to break the tension, I wriggled my fingers jazz hands-style. His grin returned, forcing some of the haunted look from his eyes. I poked him in the chest. “But just so we agree, you started it.”
“Yeah, I know.” He tugged on the end of my ponytail. “You’re cute when you’re angry.”
My nose twitched into a snarl, and I stepped back. “I am not cute when I’m angry.”
I blinked, realizing he’d goaded me into a reaction. My cheeks flushed. His soft laughter washed over me. Using both hands on my shoulders, he spun me around and nudged me toward the entrance of the historical society.
“Whatever you say, Graves.”
***
The historical society was laid out in sections. An area was preserved with rows of walnut shelving, holding a vast array of books and old journals. Another section acted as a museum, displaying various objects inside glass cases, and then there was the gift shop.
Smelling faintly of aged paper and window cleaner, the shop was tidy and filled with odd curiosities mixed with the more popular tourist items. Handcrafted wooden sculptures sat next to shot glasses labeled with “Welcome to Thornbridge” in neon letters. I perused a rack of postcards featuring local photography while we waited for a member of the staff.
An older woman entered the gift shop from a back room. She wore her gray hair short and curly. Thin in frame and dressed in tan slacks and a turtleneck sweater, she lifted a pair of glasses hanging from a chain around her neck and slipped them over her nose.
“You must be Elle and Caden from the university. I’m Gwen.” She offered a slender hand, and I took it, smiling warmly.
“Thank you for meeting with us. I apologize that it’s under such sad circumstances.”
Gwen nodded solemnly and ushered us into a cozy side room filled with historical memorabilia. We took a seat at a small café table while Gwen poured us each a cup of coffee from the complimentary coffee station.
I wrapped my fingers around the mug, letting the porcelain warm my palms.
“So, I hear you’re writing a tribute piece on Laura for the university. How can I help?” Gwen asked as she joined us at the table.
“Yes. My partner, Caden, and I are putting together something to highlight not only the work she’s done at the school, but also within the community. We were going through some of her files that the university provided and found a card for the historical society. We thought she might be involved with your organization.”
Gwen inhaled deeply and added a packet of sugar to her coffee. Her hand trembled slightly as she tapped the paper against the rim of her cup.
“The Thornbridge Historical Society has had the pleasure of working with Professor Roberts for many years. She’s written articles for our quarterly magazine as well as collaborated with us on new acquisitions for our gallery.”
Caden rested his arm on the back of my chair and stirred his coffee. He took a sip then asked, “Are there any recent projects she may have been involved with? Specifically, anything she was currently working on right before the accident. There are so many past accomplishments to feature, but we’d love to get a sense about her recent endeavors.”
Gwen cleared her throat. Her gaze darted to the entrance to the gift shop then back to us. “Well, we requested her help with a recent acquisition. I don’t have much information because we never saw her final report, but a few months ago, our organization came into possession of a rare cache of artifacts. It’s normal for us to reach out to experts to have items appraised, identified, even restored for use in our gallery.”
“And so you asked Professor Roberts to research the artifacts?” I asked.
“Yes. It was a collection of odd statues with peculiar engravings, some crude earthenware, as well as a few books. We were trying to determine their origin.” Gwen’s gaze softened. “Laura was so excited to work o
n the project. She even brought one of her classes here to view the artifacts. A few of the students were fascinated with the find.”
I met Caden’s gaze then turned back to Gwen. “Do you know which class she brought in? It might be fun to interview some of them.”
“Yes, it was her advanced ancient history class.”
Her afternoon class. The one with Jake and Zoe enrolled.
Caden drained his coffee and waved away the offer for a refill. “How did you come into possession of these items?”
“The town is excavating an old mill in order to build condos. They found the items buried on the site. We looked into what was on the property prior to the mill, but the records are unfortunately incomplete. We hoped Professor Roberts could provide us with more insight so we can properly display and archive the find.”
I leaned forward in my chair. “Where are the items now?”
Gwen looked uneasily around the room again. Worry knotted her brow.
“Is everything all right?” I asked.
“It’s just very strange. You two aren’t the only ones to come here asking about her recent work with the society. There was a man here yesterday.”
Caden’s grip tightened on the armrest. His gaze met mine, and I could read the question behind his eyes. Was it the man who stole the business card from Professor Roberts’ office? I had an uneasy feeling the answer was a definite yes.
“Did you get his name? What did he look like?” he asked. When Gwen faltered at his probing questions, Caden flashed her a reassuring smile and added, “We just want to make sure it wasn’t someone else from the university and that we didn’t get our interviews crossed.”
“Happens more often than we like with this guy in charge of planning.” I chuckled and nudged Caden playfully in the side as if he’d handled some mix-up.
Caden squeezed my shoulder and winked. “What can I say? I get easily distracted when this one’s around.”
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