by Sharon Joss
My heart pounded. “Lance who?”
“McNair. We know he lives here.” Chino guy leered at me from behind a mouthful of gold teeth.
Where’s a cop when you need one, I wondered. I reminded myself that serial killers don’t ring the doorbell. I kept my face and voice neutral.
“He isn’t here.”
“When do you expect him back?”
Be cool, Mattie. “I’m not sure.” If he wanted to, this guy could get by me in about half a second, and we both knew it.
The guy smirked and offered me his business card. An image of the queen of spades was printed on one side, Hector Perrone’s name and number on the reverse. I didn’t care what his card said, Hector was a thug, plain and simple.
“Cute.” I waved the card. “What’s this all about?”
“Tell him to get in touch with us. Sooner will be better for him than later.” Hector gave me the onceover from tits to toes and back again, before meeting my eyes; his threat clear.
As if. I fought to keep my expression bland. “Okay, I’ll give him the message.”
“See you around, girlfriend.” He tipped an invisible hat to me, then sauntered down the walk toward his buddy.
I slammed the door and turned the deadbolt. Stupid, but it made me feel better. I snuck a peek from behind the curtains in the front window, as they got into the Seville. They sat for a few minutes, chilling in the conditioned air, I supposed, before they drove off.
Hector’s business card listed the address for the House of Cards, a gambling establishment on the greasy side of Picston. I sighed and shut my eyes against the implication. There was only one reason why someone from the House of Cards would be looking for Lance. If my brother was gambling again, he was in big trouble, in more ways than one. If he lost custody of Mina, I doubted I’d ever see her again.
Violet had no use for me; she thought I enabled Lance. When she’d set up an intervention the last time, I hadn’t been willing to cut him out of my life if he continued gambling. Violet had a big family to support her, but Lance was the only family I had left. There had been a nasty scene between us, and neither of us backed down.
Mina peered up at me expectantly, the Scrabble game and dictionary all ready to go.
“Who was that man?” Little wrinkles furrowed her brow.
I smiled reassuringly. “Nobody,” I said. “Just someone looking for your dad.”
“Come on, let’s play,” she said.
I gazed into Mina’s earnest face. I can’t lose you, sweetie. I sat down at the table, but my mind wasn’t on the game. As soon as Mina went to bed, I’d call him. I wanted some answers.
#
While Mina brushed her teeth and got ready for bed, I turned down the sheets on her bed and started to close the curtains. I noticed a car idling at the curb across the street. The menacing blue Seville was back. I immediately turned off the light and peeked out, but couldn’t discern the faces of the two figures in the front seat. No matter; I had no doubt the thugsy twins were watching the place, waiting for Lance to show. I debated going out there and confronting them, but nixed the idea. I had a responsibility to keep Mina safe. But knowing they were out there gave me the creeps.
“Why did you turn out the light?” Mina stood silhouetted in the doorway.
“It’s nighttime, silly. Time for bed. Come on, I’ll tuck you in.”
“I want the light on.”
“Oh, you’re too old for a nightlight, sweetie. Come on, into bed.”
“No.” She pouted. “Turn it on.”
“There is nothing to be afraid of, you’re a big girl now.”
“Turn it on. I don’t like your monsters.”
I froze. Goosebumps raced up my arms and down my back. A hysterical giggle threatened to bubble over.
“What monsters,” I asked. My left eyelid began to twitch.
“Them.” She pointed to the corner where Blix and Larry and the rest of the gang sat. “They don’t belong here.”
Well okay then. Dumfounded, I switched the light back on. “Better?”
She nodded, and crawled into bed and pulled up the covers. “They don’t bother me when the lights are on.” She stretched her arms wide for her goodnight kiss. Speechless, I swooped in to grant it, and snuggled her into my arms, uncertain what to say.
Relief flooded through me. A heaviness I didn’t know existed eased off my chest and I took a deep breath. Her confirmation meant everything to me.
“How many do you see?” I was dying to talk about them, but didn’t want to alarm her by making a big thing out of it.
“Two. What are their names?”
If Mina could see them, they were real.
My heart fluttered like a captive bird; I couldn’t believe we were even talking about this. “Are you sure? What do they look like?” And why only two?
“The big one looks like that goblin from that movie you like. The other one reminds me of an alligator with a squashed up face.”
I hugged her closer. “He isn’t a goblin, that’s Blix. I think he looks a little like my old cat, Mister Mittens. Remember him? The other one is Larry the Lizard.” Okay, Blix had been around the longest, but Larry had showed up third. Why couldn’t she see the others?
She nodded, as if this was the most natural topic in the world. “Larry is cuter.”
I was way out of my depth here, but didn’t know what else to do, but go along with her.
“Yes, he is.” And I meant it. In a pudgy, squatty-body sort of way. Floppy spines ran down his back, and he kept his prehensile tail curled around one of his stubby front legs, giving him a rather unsure expression. I could relate to that.
“Can you smell them?”
She closed her eyes and sniffed the air. She blinked slowly, and shook her head, her eyes getting heavier. “Will you stay with me until I go to sleep?”
I wanted to jump up and down and scream for joy, but since my only witness was a drowsy nine-year-old, I fought to keep myself still.
“Of course, baby.”
I’m not losing my mind. I knew it, and now I had proof. Blix and Larry, at least, were real. I had to get in touch with Rhys Warrick right away. His name sang in my veins like an anthem. I could barely contain myself.
“I’m not a baby.” Her eyes stayed shut, and she snuggled into me. Her breathing deepened.
Once Mina fell asleep, I tiptoed into the kitchen and called the number Karen gave me for Mystic Properties, but all I got was a recording. I left my name and cell phone number, and asked him to call me as soon as possible. He had an unexpected voice; more whisky-and-grit Bob Seger than tenured college professor. I wondered what he looked like.
I called Lance next, but he didn’t answer. Where could he be? My thoughts strayed to pool halls, and bars, and card parlors. He had a daughter to care for and a business to run. He wouldn’t be stupid enough to get involved in gambling again, would he? I left an urgent message to call me back. If Hector and his friend were any indication, Lance was about to be in for a world of hurt.
I peeked out the curtains and my heart gave a jump. The Seville sat parked across the street. I turned off all the lights except one in the kitchen. What did those men want from Lance? Had to be money. I thought briefly about calling the police, but they weren’t breaking the law or anything. I debated going out there and confronting them, but figured that was a stupid idea. Mina was my responsibility, I needed to keep her safe.
I checked the cupboards for some sort of weapon, and put a cast-iron frying pan next to the front door. My eyes strayed to my little cluster of monsters, all too small and insubstantial to be much use if things got nasty.
Blix stamped his front feet at me.
I let out a shriek and grabbed the frying pan before I realized how stupid that was. What the hell? He had never made the slightest move before. I searched the stoic faces of the other four, but observed no change or reaction in any of them. You imagined it. They’re not real.
Blix licked his l
ips with a pointy blue tongue.
A wave of nausea rolled over me. I choked it back down.
“What are you,” I whispered.
There was no possibility of sleep now; I had a serious case of the creeping heebie-jeebies. I kneeled on the carpet, and studied Blix closely. Mina was right, Blix was bigger than the others, and his eyes now focused on mine. I moved my head toward the light, and his head swiveled to follow mine, his eyes dilated. Whenever I nodded, he nodded. I waved my arm, but he didn’t respond, nor did he when I moved my leg. His eyes remained glued to my face, as if anticipating something from me. I forced myself to remain calm.
“You’re freaking me out, Blix. Are you a demon or a spirit?”
What was the difference anyway? Blix looked like he was standing at attention, awaiting my order. The only thing I wanted him to do was to go away. If he was a demon, giving him a command would cause him to materialize permanently. I wasn’t so sure about spirit guides.
I paced the kitchen, keeping a wary eye on the critter crowd, my anxiety growing by the minute. My mind swirled with useless thoughts of Lance and demons and Porter and my suspension. I wondered why Lance hadn’t called me back, and why it was so hard to get hold of that stupid mage, and why I seemed to waste so much time waiting for calls from men who never called me back. I hated the helpless feeling of waiting for something to happen. When did I become such a wimp? Enough of this already, I had to do something.
Family comes first, I decided.
I checked on my sleeping niece. I curled around her, burying my face into her warm hair. I couldn’t lose her, but I didn’t want to lose my brother, either. If Lance didn’t have a decent explanation about what he was up to, I’d threaten to tell Violet about House of Cards. If he wanted to keep Mina in his life, he’d better straighten up.
And come hell or high water, I’d get hold of that elusive mage tomorrow, even if I had to pull an all-day stakeout. No more nice girl. Time for Mattie Blackman to kick a little butt.
CHAPTER 12
The next morning, after I dropped Mina off at school, I headed over to Mystic Properties for my mage stakeout. I called Rhys again, and listened to the phone ringing inside. Okay, nobody home. In a moment of clarity, I decided against leaving another message. The last thing I wanted to do was to make him think I was stalking him. Waiting for him to show up at work wasn’t the same thing at all.
Lance hadn’t called me back, so I called his partner at the shop.
“Sorry, Mattie. I don’t know where he is. He said he’d be back on Monday.”
“Did he tell you anything about, um, having any problems lately?” Doc and Lance had been friends for decades. When Lance got into trouble with the loan sharks the first time, he’d sold his half of the business to Doc. Once Lance got out of rehab, Doc agreed to let Lance buy back in, but only on the condition that he was done with gambling. If Lance was gambling again, he’d lose the business.
“You mean the ex-wife? No more than the usual. Hey, I gotta go, I got customers.”
I settled into my seat again to wait. Doing a stakeout from the only car parked on the block, made me feel a bit obvious. At this hour on the morning, the regular businesses were just starting to open, and there were plenty of parking spaces, except in front of the bakery and Henry’s Killer Burgers, which was open twenty-four hours. My stomach rumbled. I should have brought a thermos of coffee, at least. I adjusted the rearview mirror and studied the five demons in the backseat. A full day had passed since a new demon joined my little monster mouse club. Blix was definitely making independent movements now. His head and eyes followed my every move. Every time I looked in his direction, he stamped his front feet and licked his lips or eyeballs with that disturbing blue tongue.
To kill some time, I got out and strolled over to stare in the window again. I scanned the postcards advertising properties for rent. Most were commercial properties, but there were a few apartment rentals. With my landlady in the pokey. I might need a new place to live. As my eyes scrolled down the list of rentals, I spotted for the first time, gold lettering in the lower left corner of the front window: Hours by Appointment Only.
Oh crap. I fumed for a minute, debating my next move. Next door, Tacker Shoes was open. Tackers started out as a shoe repair shop, selling shoes on the side. Over the years, the business gave way to shoe sales, and now, Tacker’s was the only shoe store in Shore Haven. I walked in and found Bunny Tacker dusting the men’s dress shoe display. She greeted me with a glowing smile and welcoming hug. Bunny had always been a skinny thing in school, but she had gained weight since I’d seen her last.
“You look great,” I said.
“I got my boobs done.” She pulled up her t-shirt to show me the new ta-tas peeking out of a low-cut C-cup. “Best thing I ever did. Check this out.” She flashed a twinkle ring in front of me as well. “Ronnie and I are engaged.” Happiness seemed to bubble right out of her.
I squealed and oohed appropriately and made a fuss over her augmented appearance and upcoming nuptials. Okay, maybe I was just a teensy bit jealous, but ever since seventh grade, Bunny Tacker’s future with Ronnie Orozco had been a sure bet.
“Hell, maybe I need a boob job too.” I noted at the ‘Clearance Sale’ sign in the window. “What’s all this?”
She shrugged. “Oh, Dad’s selling the place. None of us kids are interested in taking the place over, and the land is worth more than the business now. He’s decided to retire and move down to Florida. Remember when my Mom slipped on the ice and broke her hip last winter? She’s fine, but terrified of falling again. They’re down in Clearwater now, looking at condos.”
“I’m glad your mom is doing better.” The displays of shoes and purses were sparsely populated. “Must be lots of businesses selling out to marina developers. I hear the Sand Castle is closing too.”
She made a face. “Not the same thing. Garr’s mismanaged the place, and Mad Otto is foreclosing out of spite. Garr may be a loser, but can you imagine foreclosing on your own family? Otto sold the restaurant out from under Garr. The place will be torn down pretty soon.”
I didn’t like hearing Bunny criticize my potential future boyfriend. Besides, how would she know? “I can’t imagine not having the Sand Castle around anymore. Or Tacker’s either, for that matter.”
“A lot of the big old estates along the Strand have been sold off, too. People are hoping the marina will revive the Shore, but Dad thinks Shore Haven is losing its soul. Pretty soon, regular folks like us won’t be able to afford to live here. The town will dissolve into a private seasonal getaway for the rich.”
“There’s still Shanghai Palace, and Dave’s Killer Burgers. I can’t picture Shore Haven without them. Or the bakery either.”
“Yeah, they’ll do fine. But a lot of the old buildings have already been torn down to make room for banks. Most of the new businesses are either real estate or investment firms.”
“Hey, speaking of which, what’s with that place next door, Mystic Properties? Every time I walk by, they’re closed.”
“Oh, that’s Rhys; he’s a busy guy. Are you looking to move?” She looked hopeful. “Because I’m going to be moving in with Ronnie next month, and I’ve still got six months on my lease.”
Bunny is my friend, but also an incurable gossip, and I wasn’t about to tell her anything I didn’t need to.
“So what’s this Rhys guy like? How do I get hold of him?”
“It’s a two bedroom over in Webster.” She made a face. “I know, but the rent was cheap. And it has a garage. Why are you moving? Is it because of Patty? I would never have suspected her of being a demon master. Did you--”
“Actually, it’s for Lance,” I lied. “He is thinking of moving to a bigger place. He’s out of town; I told him I’d try to find something for him this week.”
“What are you talking about? Lance isn’t out of town, Ronnie and I saw him last night.”
“Excuse me?”
“Yeah, a big crowd of us part
ied after hours at the Stick and Stein pool tournament. Lance was brilliant; I’d never seen him shoot before. Big-name players showed up from all over; Detroit, New York City, even Philadelphia. A lot of people lost money on those tables, but Lance wasn’t one of them. By the time we left, he had a wad on him the size of a baseball.”
I stared at her, unable to speak. He’d lied to me. No wonder he hadn’t called me back. What a-- focus Mattie. I exhaled, and stomped all my fury back down. I couldn’t do anything about that now.
“Where I can find Rhys?”
“He eats lunch at the Amble Inn every day.”
“That dump? I can’t believe they’re still open.”
She laughed. “You know, the AI was the first bar I ever went to.”
When we were in high school, Karen and Bunny and I used to sneak into the place on Tuesday nights for the cheap beer and college boys. She glanced at her watch. “Say, since I’m the boss this week, how about I close up for a bit, and take you over there for a Joe’s Special?”
“You’re on.”
The entrance to the AI was a few doors away, and as I followed Bunny into the gloom, I was assailed by the scent of hot dogs, stale peanuts, and several decades’ worth of alcohol fumes.
Time had not passed the AI unnoticed. It was still a dive bar, but had been remodeled at some point. Two large skylights brightened the place up, and a few booths had been added beneath the front windows. The décor was still early rope and marine hardware, but an electric train ran around the room near the ceiling, adding a touch of whimsy. Big-screen televisions loomed over the patrons, each screen tuned to a different sports event.
“Hey Herman,” Bunny called out to the bearded guy behind the bar. “Two Molsons and two specials.”
I followed her to the closest empty booth. We sat, and the man came around with a basket of unshelled peanuts and our beers.
“You’re early today,” he smiled at Bunny. “Be a minute on the specials. The cooker is almost ready.”