Games, Ghouls, and Waffles (The Diner of the Dead Series Book 19)

by Carolyn Q. Hunter

  Camping.

  One of Sonja’s close friends, Belinda Smith, had gone camping over a month prior and hadn’t ever come back. Sonja was worried about what it all could mean, but knew she shouldn’t even think of it. Belinda was an avid student of the occult, and was hot on the trail of a modern-day witch that had supposedly taken up residence in Haunted Falls.

  Sonja figured that Belinda was probably out pursuing more leads, maybe even performing occult rituals in the woods. She couldn’t help but worry, even though no one else seemed to care that the eccentric woman was gone.

  According to the staff at her mansion, Belinda had sent word that she would be staying out a little longer.

  There was nothing Sonja could do but wait until she returned.

  “Earth to Sonja.” Ally snapped her fingers.

  “Sorry,” she replied, shaking her head.

  “You looked a million miles away.”

  “Just thinking about Belinda, that’s all.”

  “Hey, she told her staff that she was staying out in the woods a little longer. So what?”

  “So, I can’t help thinking.”

  “I hope you’re thinking about what sort of food we’re serving this Friday. If we need any special order ingredients we need to pick them up today.”

  “I know, I know.” Sonja nodded, smiling at her friend and pushing Belinda from the forefront of her thoughts. It was only Monday, but preparations for any catering event took time. She knew she was being more overly cautious and worried lately, but something in her gut told her that something big was coming—something dark.

  “So, what are you thinking for Friday?”

  Sonja smiled eagerly. “Well, first, I have an idea for a cake.”

  “A cake? Not a waffle? Who are you?” Alison teased.

  “Oh, don’t you worry. Waffles will be at the center of the feast, but I’m still working out exactly what I want as part of that dish.”

  “Okay, just make sure you fill me in on all the details before the end of the day.”

  “You know I will.”

  “Now, what about this cake?”

  Sonja smirked. “I’m thinking layers.”

  CHAPTER 2

  * * *

  The office phone was ringing, interrupting the steady flow of work going on in the kitchen. “I’ll get it,” Sonja announced, brushing a strand of wandering red hair from her face with the back of her hand. Even with a tight ponytail at the back of her head, her curly hair managed to find ways to get in the way.

  It was always chaos, just like this last week of summer vacation.

  It seemed as if all the teenagers and families with children were trying to live up this last week before school started again, and that included eating out at the most popular restaurant in town.

  The previous summer, right after the diner had reopened, hadn’t been nearly as chaotic or overwhelming. Of course, Sonja’s waffle recipes hadn’t been quite as popular back then either. She hated to admit it, but she was beginning to think she needed to hire more kitchen staff to make up for the constant stream of orders.

  Leaving her station in front of four different waffle irons, Sonja walked into the office and sat in the swivel chair, letting out a sigh of relief as her sore muscles settled in. Bits of flour dust stuck to her fingers as she carefully lifted the phone from its cradle.

  “Waffle Diner and Eatery, this is Sonja speaking.”

  “Sonja?” a familiar voice asked.

  “Yes?”

  “It’s Cass,” the young woman informed her. She sounded timid, as if she were afraid to be making this call.

  “Hi, Cass,” Sonja greeted her, brightening the tone of her voice. While she knew worrying had been pointless, it was nice to hear that the young woman had made it home safely despite the storm. “What can I do for you?”

  There was a slight hesitation before she spoke. “I wanted to ask you something, but I’m afraid it’ll sound silly.”

  “I’m sure that’s not true,” Sonja comforted her.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Just forget about,” her voice trailed off.

  “I promise I won’t judge you, whatever it is. What’s up?”

  Sonja could almost hear Cass chewing her lip nervously. “I was wondering . . . if you could help me make a character for the game on Friday.”

  Unable to help herself, Sonja chuckled quietly. In a role-playing game like Wizards and Warlocks, each player used a sheet of paper to write down numbers, percentages, and statistics that represented what their character was capable of doing. Meanwhile, Sonja as the Game Master facilitated cooperative storytelling where each player’s character performed feats of heroism. She oversaw all the traps, monsters, and other obstacles the players might face during the game.

  While some people thought that role-playing games were childish and a waste of time, Sonja felt that these types of activities were good for kids, teens, and adults alike. It was the type of cooperative game that helped teach problem solving, team work, social interaction, math skills, and more. In fact, many teachers and schools were incorporating such games as part of the normal curriculum to help increase student interest and engagement.

  “You’re laughing,” Cass moaned, clearly embarrassed by Sonja’s slight chuckle.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing because I’m excited,” Sonja told her truthfully.

  “You’re excited?”

  “Of course. I was just going to draw up a few pre-made characters for you and the other players to use, but if you want to make your own, that’s even better.”

  “It is?”

  Sonja smiled. “Yep. You’ll most likely enjoy the game more if you are playing a character that you created yourself.”

  “So, you’ll help me?” Cass exclaimed.

  “I’d love to.”

  Allison waved from the kitchen at Sonja, indicating that they needed her back at the waffle irons. The orders were flowing in non-stop.

  “How does tonight sound? Do you have time?”

  “Of course,” Cass replied.

  “Okay. Meet me here at the diner at six. Can you do that?”

  “Sure thing. I’ll be there.”

  Sonja glanced up at Alison who was frantically trying to get all the waffles done at once. It was amazing to watch her at work, moving like a machine.

  Suddenly, Sonja had a lightbulb turn on in her mind.

  “Cass? I have one more question.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Have you ever cooked before?”

  * * *

  The work load never let up the entire day until about two in the afternoon. Both Sonja and Alison felt like they might just fall over dead if they didn’t get a break, and were grateful when the tables started to thin out. Knowing they’d only get about two or three hours before the dinner rush began, they both slumped down in a corner booth together with some coffee and a few strawberry scones.

  “I haven’t seen Frank in here at all today,” Ally noted, sipping her coffee and nibbling the corner of one of the scones. Alison ate a little bit like a bird, which was the opposite of Sonja who took large bites to really savor the combination of flavors.

  “He hasn’t been in,” she admitted. Frank was the local sheriff as well as Sonja’s serious boyfriend.

  “Has he called?”

  Sonja tilted her coffee mug and sipped the dark liquid. After how worn out she was from the breakfast, brunch, and lunch rushes she had made it twice as strong. As soon as the coffee was past her lips, she could feel the zing of energy racing through her body. “Nope. He hasn’t called.” She set the mug down.

  Ally gave out a concerned hum, taking another nervous nibble of the scone.

  “What?” Sonja asked, knowing her friend had something on her mind.

  “Don’t you think that’s a little odd?”

  “He doesn’t come in every day, you know,” Sonja pointed out.

  “But how often does he not call at least onc
e?”

  Sonja shrugged. “He has a hard job.”

  Ally tilted her head and scowled. “I know that. He only wears his uniform everywhere he goes.”

  Sonja sighed quietly as she thought of Frank in his well-fitted brown uniform with his perfectly combed blonde hair. He had recently been also wearing a close-cut beard which Sonja found attractive.

  “Earth to Sonja.”

  “Sorry,” she replied shaking the fantasy from her mind. She was clearly overworked and under slept since she caught herself daydreaming on and off during hours of operation. It was harder and harder to concentrate. She’d be thrilled once school was back in session and the schedule was back to normal. “Frank probably just had something come up at work today and couldn’t stop by or call. That’s all”

  “You don’t think,” Ally paused, fearing what she was about to say next, “that there’s been another murder, do you?”

  So, that was it, Sonja realized. Alison was worried about the recent rise of violent crime in Haunted Falls. She nodded knowingly.

  Ever since her return to the small mountain town, Sonja had been the key witness on multiple homicide cases. It was part of the reason she and Frank had ended up spending so much time together and ultimately dating. At least once a month there had been a murder, and almost always there seemed to be something strange or supernatural attached to the case.

  Sonja, unbeknownst to Ally, was a medium who could see and speak to the dead. She additionally could see premonitions of the future and feel the resonant spiritual energy in objects—especially cursed objects.

  Frank had learned of her abilities recently thanks to his own experience with ghosts.

  It seemed that Sonja’s presence was creating a heightened amount of paranormal activity in the community. More and more people were experiencing strange and unexplainable things that only Sonja seemed able to solve.

  She looked Ally directly in the eye. “Things have been pretty quiet lately. I don’t think we have anything to worry about.” Tilting her mug again, she took a bigger drink, feeling a surge run through her veins.

  The door to the diner opened with a ding and both women glanced over to see who it was. Almost as if in response to the current conversation, Sheriff Frank Thompson entered the room in his uniform. A pair of sunglasses hid his eyes from view, but Sonja could feel him searching for her.

  Instantly, she knew something was up.

  Glancing at her friend, she noticed Alison giving her an I told you so kind of look.

  Upon spotting Sonja, Frank walked over and stood near the table.

  “Hi, Frank,” Ally said with a smile.

  “Hi, girls,” he replied, removing his glasses and bending down to kiss Sonja.

  “What’s up?” she asked.

  “Do you have a minute. We need to talk alone.”

  CHAPTER 3

  * * *

  “What’s going on?” Sonja asked as she led her boyfriend into the tight office space.

  Frank shut the door behind himself, closing them into the cramped windowless room together. He stood straight, rigged, never dropping his on the job attitude that defined him as sheriff. “This might be an empty inquiry, but have you had anything strange happen to you lately?”

  Sonja pursed her lips, curious about why he was asking her this. “You mean has anything supernatural happened?”

  He gave a firm nod. “That’s right.”

  She shook her head and sat down in the swivel chair. “No, not really. Nothing that stands out, at least.”

  “No premonitions? No ghostly visits?”

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  “No dreams about swords, long sabers, anything like that?”

  “Frank, what’s going on?” she asked, standing back up and placing a hand on his shoulder.

  At her touch, he finally began to drop his usual professional attitude, slumping his shoulders with a sigh. “Sorry, I just needed to make some clarifications before moving forward.”

  “Moving forward with what?” she asked, turning him around and sitting him in the chair. She was just now realizing how dark his eyes were. He looked like he hadn’t slept the night before.

  He hesitated.

  “Here, I think you need this,” Sonja said, holding out her mug of coffee that was still in her hand.

  “Thanks,” he said, taking the cup from her and sipping it.

  “Can you tell me what’s going on?”

  He glanced up at her, clearly debating how much to reveal. This was a common occurrence in their relationship, and Sonja assumed it would remain that way indefinitely. Often times, Frank would be facing a case in which he could only share the vaguest of details with her. It just came with the territory of police work. Finally, Frank told her the truth. “There’s been another homicide.”

  Sonja’s jaw dropped open. While she’d known murder was a possibility, she hadn’t truly believed it was possible. “Who? Who was murdered?”

  “A man named Cooper Rickerson was stabbed outside the Macamery Pool Hall last night. I’ve been out on the scene ever since one a.m.”

  “Oh my gosh. And you’re telling me?”

  “That’s just the basics. You’ll hear at least that much on the news this evening. What with multiple patrons at the hall seeing the body before we even arrived on the scene, the reporters have already been interviewing witnesses.”

  “I see.” She shook her head. “A local murder, and for once I’m not involved in any way. I didn’t find the body, I didn’t foresee the murder, and no ghosts have appeared to me talking about it.”

  “I was a bit surprised myself,” he admitted. Tilting the mug back, he downed the rest of the coffee, grimacing at the sludgy grounds at the bottom of the cup—the energy shot at the end of the drink. Already, he was beginning to look more awake. “Anyway, that’s why I showed up here after finishing at the crime scene. It was just in case you had seen or experienced something connected to the case.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “Now that I know about your abilities as a medium, I feel the need to cover my bases when a case like this comes up. I may not be able to use any of your premonitions or encounters in an actual arrest or conviction, but sometimes it might be able to point me in the right direction.”

  Sonja folded her arms and leaned against the door. “I’m surprised you even considered asking me. I mean, my abilities are kind of out there.”

  “Doesn’t hurt to ask,” he noted, setting the mug on the desk and standing up. “If I can get an extra hint or clue from you, I’ll always take it.”

  “But with a grain of salt, I hope. Even I don’t completely understand what my encounters always mean.”

  Leaning in, he kissed her on the forehead. “I know that, but like I said, I want to cover all my bases. I was on my way back to the station anyway, and this was a quick stop.”

  “I can’t help but say I’m relieved,” she admitted.

  “Me too. I don’t like it when you’re overly involved in these dangerous cases.”

  “With the end of summer practically here, and the game night coming up this Friday, I’m completely overwhelmed as it is. The last thing I need is to be caught up in another murder.”

  “I’m glad that you’re not.”

  Sliding her arms around him, she hugged him tight. “I assume I won’t be seeing a whole lot of you in the next few days, then?”

  “It’s a possibility. It just depends on how complicated this case is.”

  Letting him go, Sonja opened the office door into the kitchen.

  “Thanks.”

  “So, did you say that the victim was stabbed with a sword?” she asked quietly, unable to help her natural curiosity.

  Frank paused, raising an eyebrow. “I’m not at liberty to share that information, Sonj’,”

  She nodded her understanding, yet something in his face told her that she was right in her assumption.

  Someone in Haunted Falls had been stabbed to death with a s
word.

  CHAPTER 4

  * * *

  Six o’clock finally rolled around and Sonja’s shift for the day ended. As one of the owners of The Waffle Diner and Eatery she always worked extra-long shifts to make sure things were running smoothly. Tonight, glad to be done with work, she grabbed another cup of coffee and a few pink frosted donuts from the plastic display stand, and sat in her same corner booth to wait for Cass.

  She made sure she had enough food to share. She’d had a fried egg and some bacon early that morning, but that was the only real protein to speak of. Besides that, she’d had coffee, scones, and donuts all day long—not the healthiest of diets. At the moment, however, she didn’t care. It had been a long day and she felt like she deserved a donut or two.

  The table was covered in all the items she would need to help Cass make a character for Wizards and Warlocks—paper, pencils, erasers, a set of polyhedral dice, and the thick hardcover rulebook. It was decorated in blue with stars and constellations. The image of a grey bearded man in a pointed hat was casting a fireball spell at an ogre on the front.

  Glancing out the window, Sonja noticed a car pull up into the wet parking lot.

  It hadn’t stopped raining all day long. The weather cycled through stages of very light rainfall and some sunshine to torrents of water and nearly black skies. Sonja wondered if it would ever stop raining.

  Cass climbed out of the car, waved goodbye to her Aunt Pan, and dashed through the front door of the diner.

  “Thank heaven she got a ride,” Sonja whispered to herself.

  “Hi, Sonja,” Cass beamed as she walked over and sat down at the booth, setting her purse beside her and digging out a tiny brown synch bag and setting it on the table.

  “I didn’t know if you’d be hungry, so I made sure we had a few donuts.” Sonja motioned to the plate filled with sprinkled donuts. While they did make some of the pastries in the diner, others were made by local bakeries or stay-at-home moms who earned a small profit when their product sold.