A Wild Fright in Deadwood (Deadwood Humorous Mystery Book 7)

by Ann Charles

  As I pounded on the window, trying to get Addy and Layne’s attention, Reid Martin’s red dually pickup truck pulled up in front of the house. He parked at the curb, smiling at my two nincompoops as he came around the back of his pickup.

  Several unladylike curses flew from Aunt Zoe’s mouth as we watched Reid lift a ladder out of the truck’s bed.

  “What’s he …” I started to ask, and then realized what was going on. “Oh jeez, he’s come to save the chicken. Please tell me Addy didn’t call 911 about this.” The snickering and nicknames that would ensue would rival the jokes that flew my way when Jeff Wymonds’s garage roof blew up during my open house.

  We watched Harvey head out to meet Reid at the end of the sidewalk, pointing up at the chicken when he put his arm around Addy’s shoulders.

  “It wasn’t Addy,” Aunt Zoe said.

  “How do you know?”

  “Because only Reid showed up, not any of his crew. My money’s on Willis. He must have called him to come over and play fireman.”

  “That’s fast service. You were just down in the kitchen with Harvey not ten minutes ago.”

  “Reid always was Johnny-on-the-spot when it came to damsels in distress.” She snorted, adding under her breath, “Especially when the fire he needed to put out was in my bed.”

  I didn’t know what to say in response to that, so I kept my big mouth shut and watched as Reid extended the ladder and leaned it against the tree’s trunk. He put his weight on the first rung, shifting around, testing the ladder’s stability.

  Aunt Zoe growled. “He’s going to break his neck rescuing that chicken.”

  “Harvey’s holding the base.”

  “Yeah, but Reid weighs more than Harvey.” She stepped back from the window. “I’m going down there.”

  I threw on jeans and a T-shirt and followed her down the stairs, scooping up my red pea coat on the way out the front door. “Addy and Layne,” I hollered from the top porch step. “Go inside and put on some warmer clothes.”

  “But, Mom,” Addy whined, “Elvis may fall while I’m inside.”

  “Your chicken is going to be all right, sweetheart,” Reid told her as he climbed the ladder. “I’ll bring her down safe and sound.”

  “Go!” I ordered, pointing my thumb back toward the house. “Trust me, no chicken is worth frostbitten toes.”

  Grumbling something about my lack of love for her prized chicken, Addy led the way inside with her purplish-pink toes.

  Layne smiled up at me as he passed. “Morning, Mom. Your hair looks wild.”

  Great. Layne was now channeling Cooper.

  “Did you have a bad dream?”

  “No,” I lied. “I haven’t combed my curls yet.”

  He didn’t need to hear about my nightmare involving a ringing phone and an albino juggernaut who had broken the mirror in Ms. Wolff’s bedroom on his way through. Especially the part about the ax that he’d planted dead center in my chest. Where had that dang war hammer been when I needed it most?

  I leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Go inside and put on some warm clothes.”

  He raced inside after his sister.

  I stepped down onto the front walk, watching as Aunt Zoe and Harvey held the ladder for Reid, who was working his way up through the bare branches of the old cottonwood tree. I held my breath as Reid leaned out, reaching for Elvis’s yellow feet. A cacophony of squawks rang out in the cold clear air, followed by a fluttering of feathers, a yip from Reid, and a shout of alarm from Aunt Zoe. Then it was over and Elvis was stuffed unceremoniously into a burlap sack. The chicken squawked a bit more on the way down the ladder, quieting when a more warmly dressed Addy pulled her out of the burlap sack and nuzzled her wattle as she carried her back into the house.

  “Why don’t you join us for breakfast, Reid?” I offered as he carried the ladder back to his truck.

  Aunt Zoe nailed me with a glare. “I thought you had dibs on that Dutch Baby,” she said under her breath.

  “That was before Reid rescued Elvis. Addy wouldn’t have let me enjoy my breakfast if he hadn’t shown up to save the day, so I owe him.” I smiled at the fire captain. “Harvey made a Dutch Baby. You interested in a piece?”

  “Or two,” Aunt Zoe added, challenging me with her raised brows.

  She probably didn’t want Reid joining us for breakfast as much as I didn’t want to share Harvey’s cooking. But Addy’s hero needed to be rewarded for his quick action and efforts.

  “Sure. I haven’t had one of those in ages.”

  “Yer gonna love my momma’s recipe.” Harvey led the way up the steps.

  “I hope you made two,” I muttered to the old buzzard as he held the door for us.

  He had, thankfully, and I ate so much that I had to unbutton my jeans before I’d finished.

  “Wow, Sparky,” Reid said as Aunt Zoe cleared our plates. “That was impressive. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a girl eat that much in one sitting.”

  “A word to the wise,” Aunt Zoe said over her shoulder on the way to the sink. “Don’t come between Violet and Harvey’s cooking. You could lose an arm.”

  His laugh was rich and deep. I saw Aunt Zoe scowl over her shoulder at him as she filled the sink with water. It wasn’t the first scowl she’d sent his way since he’d arrived and wouldn’t be the last, but in between her not-so-happy-glances I’d caught her staring at him with a look that was heated and hungry. Very hungry. And not for Harvey’s food.

  My cell phone rang. I looked down at the screen, expecting Doc or Cooper, maybe even Cornelius. Instead it was Mona.

  “I’m sorry but I need to take this,” I told Reid and Harvey, who were still lounging at the table with me, finishing up their coffee. “And I’m too full to move.”

  “Who is it?” Harvey asked.

  I answered the call in response with, “Hello, Mona.”

  “Hi, Vi. Jerry wants me to let you know that we received a thumbs up from the company managing the Sugarloaf Building in Dominick Masterson’s absence. We’ll be filming tomorrow as planned, but only on the bottom floor. They don’t want anyone upstairs.”

  Hmmm, that was curious. “Great.” My tone didn’t match the word.

  “I know,” she said. “But you’re almost done.”

  “Did Jerry mention which outfit he’d like me to wear for filming at the Sugarloaf Building?” I looked across at Reid as I asked her the question.

  His eyes snapped to mine, his brow creasing.

  “He mentioned the white dress with red cherries on the bodice.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut. I’d have preferred the pink with white polka dots. The cherry one was right out of a 1950s women’s magazine and suggestive as all get out with the low neckline and juicy red cherries. “Mona, can I borrow that red silk scarf of yours?” That would at least fix the low neckline problem.

  “Let me guess—this one shows cleavage.”

  “What cleavage I can muster, yes.”

  She sighed. “He means well.”

  “I know. That’s why I’ll wear it.”

  “I have a short script ready about the building, covering its history and the rumors about it being haunted. I can drop it by later.” Mona knew I hadn’t planned on coming into the office today, needing a day off to prep mentally for tomorrow and enjoy some downtime with my family.

  “I thought Ray was supposed to write that.”

  She chuckled. “He did, but I rewrote it. The man needs to stick with selling real estate.”

  “If you don’t mind dropping it off, that would be great. I’ll be home most of the day.” I had hopes of doing something with Doc later but hadn’t set anything in stone.

  Mona hung up and I looked across at Reid. “I need to know what you saw in the Sugarloaf Building the last time you were in there.”

  “I really wish you didn’t have to go in there.” Aunt Zoe came over to the table, joining us as she dried a glass. “But at least you’ll be there in the daytime.”

 
“Does that make a difference?”

  “If there truly is a lidérc roaming the place, then it might. Usually they are night dwellers.”

  “It was well after dark when I was in there,” Reid told Aunt Zoe. “We received a call that someone saw some flames in one of the upper story windows. We were the first firetruck on scene and didn’t find anything, not even signs of a fire. I sent the guys back down to the rig and was double checking one of the back rooms when I saw something waiting in the shadows in one of the dark corners.” He focused on me. “At first, I thought I was seeing things, but then I heard scuffling.”

  “Was it hiding from you?” I asked. If this thing was as bad as Aunt Zoe implied, I’d expect it to have shown itself to Reid without qualms.

  “Actually, I had the feeling it wasn’t hiding, just studying me. I can’t explain why. When I spoke to it, asking who was there, the shadow started to move.”

  Harvey sat forward. “Are ya sure it wasn’t some younguns up there messin’ with ya?”

  Reid nodded. “It didn’t move like a normal shadow would. It sort of billowed out toward me. I stepped back and raised my arms to shield myself, and that’s when that special watchband Zo gave me seemed to flash. It reminded me of the glare you see when sunlight reflects off glass.”

  Aunt Zoe sat in the chair between us, the lines on her face doubling at his recount.

  “After that the shadow pulled back and seemed to vanish through the wall.” He looked around at each of us. “When I shined my light on the wall, I could see a black mark where it disappeared.”

  “Did anything else happen?” Aunt Zoe asked.

  “I didn’t hang around to see. The next morning I came to my senses, figuring my mind was playing tricks on me. When I went back, I didn’t see any signs of a fire or the shadow thing. Just an old empty building with plenty of cobwebs and creaks.” He drained his coffee cup. “But that black smudge was still on the wall.”

  “Have you gone back since?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “But I need to. We’ve had several more reports lately about weird sparks and lights passing by the upstairs windows. I have a feeling I’m not going to find anything up there when I go, but I can’t file an official report until I pay another visit.”

  “Why doesn’t Lead send one of their fire department guys in there?” I asked.

  Aunt Zoe stood. “The two towns share certain services to save money, including a fire investigator.” Which was Reid’s other role in addition to being a fire captain for Deadwood.

  I looked up at Aunt Zoe. “I need to go in that building.”

  She blew out a breath.

  “Today,” I added and asked Reid, “Do you think you can get me in there for a walk through? I don’t want any surprises tomorrow during filming.”

  “But if this thing only comes out at night …” Reid started.

  “Violet might unintentionally draw it out, day or night,” Aunt Zoe cut in. “She’s a magnet for other world beings.”

  “I suppose I could do the walk through this afternoon and take you along, Sparky.”

  “I’m coming, too,” Aunt Zoe said.

  Reid’s brow rose. “With me?”

  “And Violet.”

  Wonderful. I really enjoyed squirming and blushing and wishing for interplanetary spaceships to beam me up while they shared intimate conversations about what had gone wrong in their past love life.

  “We have to wait until dusk, though,” she added. “Our chances of seeing the lidérc are better after the sun sets.”

  Harvey rubbed his hands together. “I’ll get ol’ Bessie loaded for bear.”

  As much as I appreciated my partner in crime by my side, especially to offset the sexual tension always crackling between Aunt Zoe and Reid, I needed Harvey’s help with a more important task. “Harvey, will you stay here and watch over my kids?”

  He snorted. “You need me to babysit the whippersnappers while you go huntin’?”

  “Yes. Aunt Zoe needs to be there to teach us about this lidérc creature. That leaves my kids home and at risk. I can’t focus on what I might need to do if I’m worrying about Addy and Layne. What do you say? Will you guard the kids instead of me?”

  Grabbing a cookie from the Betty Boop jar, he sat back in his chair and took a bite, studying me. “Okay. But plan on talkin’ the ears off this ol’ mule when you return to cool your heels.”

  When? He was more confident than I was. I lived more on an “if” outlook when it came to the non-human population. Although having Aunt Zoe with me this time would help me feel less like I was blindfolded, swinging at piñatas.

  Harvey looped his thumbs in his suspenders. “You can borrow Bessie if you’d like. She’ll go to the well with you every time.”

  “A gun won’t work against a lidérc,” Aunt Zoe said.

  “You know, on second thought,” Reid said with a grimace. “I’m not sure this is a good idea today, Zo. I don’t want anything to happen to you or Sparky on my watch.”

  “Don’t you worry that handsome head of yours about us.” Aunt Zoe patted him on the shoulder. “I know what I’m up against, and Violet will have her war hammer in hand.”

  I would?

  “It’s you I’m worried about,” she continued. “It already knows your scent along with your weaknesses. According to what I’ve read, a lidérc will often assume the shape of a cherished, lamented dead family member or lover in order to lure its victim.”

  “What do you mean my weaknesses? I have only one Achilles’ heel.” Reid stared up at her, his point of vulnerability the object of his heated gaze.

  One of her eyebrows lifted. “And that glass jaw of yours?”

  “That’s not a weakness, more of a hindrance, especially around a certain woman who comes at me swinging more often than not.”

  With a shrug, she walked over to the sink. “What can I say? You inspire all sorts of passion. Always have, always will.”

  I saw a small smile flit over Reid’s face as he watched her backside. Then he looked my way and winked. “So why does Sparky have a war hammer?”

  “She’s a killer.” Aunt Zoe let the water out of the sink.

  I shot her a surprised glance. Was it wise to let Reid in on our sordid family secret? He knew a little about Aunt Zoe’s charms, but the bit about my assassination predisposition wasn’t exactly casual after-breakfast chatter material.

  Reid chuckled at her explanation. When Harvey and I didn’t join him, his grin faded. “Who does she kill?” he asked while focused on me.

  I fidgeted under his sudden intensity.

  “Here we go again,” Harvey muttered, stuffing another cookie in his mouth.

  “Violet kills all sorts of troublemakers.” Aunt Zoe leaned back against the counter while drying her hands. “But mostly she executes boogeymen.”

  * * *

  To his credit, Reid took the news about my family calling with only a slight widening of his eyes and a cough or two of surprise. I did notice that he shot me a few curious glances when he thought I wasn’t looking. I couldn’t blame him. Freak shows were meant to awe the crowds.

  He didn’t stick around for long after Aunt Zoe’s announcement, mostly because she kicked him out and threatened to get her shotgun when he dallied. As soon as he drove away, she claimed to have a lot to do before tonight’s visit to the Sugarloaf Building and disappeared into her workshop.

  Harvey took off to pay one of his lady friends a visit since he was going to have to break their Sunday night date. I didn’t ask which lady, especially after he got a wicked glint in his eye and informed me that he’d be “tied up” for much of the afternoon. I’d learned long ago with Harvey that those kind of comments weren’t merely turns of phrase.

  After I’d showered and tamed my curls into submission, I called Doc. He didn’t answer, so I hung up and texted him that Aunt Zoe, Reid, and I had plans to visit a haunted building after nightfall. Twenty minutes later, he texted back that he’d be joining us.
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  Foolish girl that I was, his reply made me feel sunshiny on the inside in spite of having to face off with a devilish creature in a dark haunted building.

  After Mona dropped off the script for tomorrow, I spent the afternoon playing games with my kids, ending with a rowdy game of Twister that I figured might limber me up better than the boring yoga poses I’d been doing when they’d found me.

  Doc arrived early, stepping into the living room while I was in a rather awkward position, my limbs tied up with Layne’s.

  I peeked out at him from under my armpit. “Hey, Doc.”

  His gaze traveled over my twists and turns. “Nice pose, Boots. Your boss should put a picture of you like this on that billboard out on I-90. It’d be sure to cause an accident … or ten.”

  “Why do you call Mom Boots?” Layne asked from his crab stance down by my right knee.

  Doc’s brown eyes held mine, flirting. “I’m a big fan of her purple boots.”

  “You want to play with us?” Addy asked him, getting back into her much less pretzel-like pose on the dotted plastic sheet.

  “You don’t have to,” I told him, not wanting him to feel stuck playing a kids’ game with us.

  “Oh, I definitely want to get in on this action.” He took the spinner from Addy.

  A laughter-filled half hour later, Aunt Zoe came in from her workshop. Her gaze twinkled as she took in the scene.

  “As much as I hate to break this up, we need to get ready for our double date,” she told me. “Reid will be back to pick us up soon.”

  I collapsed flat on my stomach, conceding my defeat to Doc and the kids, who were all twisted up around me. My downfall took Layne with me.

  “It’s a tie,” Addy said. “Doc and I win.”

  “I don’t think so,” I told her and rolled against Doc’s forearm, making him cave in on top of me, pinning me flat on my back. I grinned up at him. The tantalizing scent of his cologne made my breathing even more labored.

  “That’s cheating, Mother,” Addy reprimanded, lecturing me from over Doc’s head.

  “Doc doesn’t appear too put out, Adelynn.” Aunt Zoe snickered and then headed upstairs.