by Ann Charles
Doc pulled me closer, his chest warm as he hugged away my chills. “I’m not sure this is what Ms. Wolff intended when she handed off the baton.”
I smirked up at him. “Yeah, well, Ms. Wolff didn’t have curious children who like to explore with their fingers.”
“You do see the bigger problem going on here, don’t you?” His gaze was on the clocks.
“Bigger than my kids getting caught up in some kind of trouble with magic clocks?”
“Yes.” He turned me around, pointing at the clock depicting the Wild Hunt. “This one isn’t ticking when you’d think it should be after what we saw standing in the road on our way out of Slagton yesterday.”
Which meant that the leader of the hunt wasn’t even here yet. How pissed would the hunter be after finding out I’d executed so many of the pack?
Doc aimed his finger in the direction of the other clock. “And this one is ticking, which means you have someone to worry about in addition to the rowdy crew in Slagton, the Nachzehrer, and the lidérc.”
I laced my fingers through his, careful not to bump his bandaged knuckles. “Santa’s naughty list is getting long.”
“Yeah. I have a feeling we’re going to have to do something about that sooner rather than later.” He kissed my temple and then led me toward the stairs. “Tell you what, Killer. While you get ready for work, I’ll box up the clocks and make breakfast.”
Upstairs in the kitchen, Harvey was pouring himself a cup of coffee. I left Doc to explain this morning’s scream-queen festivities while I headed for the shower.
Last night, Jerry had left a message that he wanted to meet with all of us employees at Bighorn Billy’s this morning for another emergency team huddle. I hoped it had something to do with determining who was covering the office over the holidays and not a new marketing idea that involved me, more makeup, and another idiotic pose.
According to my cell phone, I had an hour and a half before my meeting. I’d need to hustle if I wanted to take a side trip to drop off the clocks with Cornelius first.
After a speedy shower, I pulled my hair back in a chignon, jamming a few of Aunt Zoe’s charm-decorated hair combs in the snarl of wet curls to corral some of the loose ends. The fancy combs reminded me that I needed to catch her alone and find out if something happened with Reid after the Christmas party. Nosy Parker wanted to know the juicy details.
The kids were chattering away with Aunt Zoe and Doc when I returned to the kitchen. Their plates were half-empty.
“Where’s Harvey?” I asked, grabbing a mug. I poured a cup of black coffee, took a sip to check the temperature, and then gulped half of it down. I needed a solid kick-start after this morning’s sideshow.
“He went home to shower and trim his beard,” Aunt Zoe said.
“Does he have a date today with a hot babe?”
“Doesn’t he always?” Doc stood by the empty griddle, munching on a piece of French toast. “You want me to fix you up a plate?” He indicated toward the serving dish on the table.
I shook my head. “Jerry wants us to meet at Bighorn Billy’s this morning.” I moved over next to him. “Thank you for taking the kids to school today.”
“Doc’s taking us to school and picking us up?” Addy asked.
Layne cleared his throat, glaring at his sister.
What? Doc getting the kids after school was news to me. “You don’t have to pick them up,” I said. “I can do that.”
“The kids and I have plans.”
“We’re going to the Rec Center,” Addy blurted out.
Layne threw his napkin at her. “Way to blab our secret, big mouth.”
I started to reprimand him, but Aunt Zoe beat me to it.
“Layne,” Aunt Zoe chastised. “You know how I feel about you two throwing things at each other, especially at the table.”
“Sorry,” he said. When she pointed at Addy, he apologized to his sister, ending with, “But it’s supposed to be a secret, remember?”
She pinched her lips together, staring down at her plate.
I turned to Doc. “All right, spill. What are you guys doing at the Rec Center today?”
“It’s none of your business,” Aunt Zoe sang.
I harrumphed at her, and then took another swallow of coffee.
Doc tugged on one of my curls that had escaped the chignon and combs. “If you want to know what we’re doing, you should join us there this afternoon.”
“Really?” He was finally going to let me be a part of their secret Rec Center meetings?
“Are we sure we want her there?” Layne interjected. He didn’t sound too thrilled about it, which spurred me to glare in his direction.
“I believe the time has come,” Doc answered.
It is time, I heard in my head. According to the voice that had whispered sweet nothings in my ear this morning, Doc was right.
“Do I need to bring my bathing suit?” I said those last two words with a curled upper lip. I didn’t relish squeezing into my tankini and waltzing around in public. Public pools were breeding grounds for large-scale outbreaks of embarrassment in my past.
“No suit. Just a T-shirt and some yoga pants will do.”
I finished my coffee, setting the mug in the sink. My smile spilled out before I could stifle it and play it cool in front of Doc. I couldn’t help it. Going to the Rec Center felt like something a family would do, and for once it was my family, not some other happy little mother-father-kids group that I’d be watching while green with envy. “Sweet! It’s a date.”
Layne groaned. “It’s not a date, Mom. That means you and Doc will get mushy and kissy again. A boy can only see so much of that before it melts his brain.”
“Coop would agree with him,” Doc said, chuckling.
“Well, I think it’s neat that Doc likes to kiss Mom,” Addy piped up.
“Why’s that?” Aunt Zoe asked.
“She went a long, loooong time with no boys wanting to kiss her. I was starting to think we’d have to find her a frog to kiss.”
My face heated. “You make me sound like a leper, child.”
“Leopards are fast.”
Layne rolled his eyes. “She said ‘leper,’ not ‘leopard,’ you bozo.”
“Layne, knock off the name calling.” I kissed his head, then moved to his sister and did the same. “Addy, don’t forget to turn in your library book today or you’ll have to pay the fine with your allowance.”
Aunt Zoe gave me an “ahem,” and tapped on her cheek. I obliged with a quick kiss. “Don’t shoot any fire captains today,” I ordered.
“I give no guarantees.” She squeezed my hand. “Be careful out there, baby girl.”
“Why? What’s going to happen?”
“Knowing you, probably something that will require tequila to fix.”
Doc walked me to the door. “The clocks are in your back seat. Do you want my help dropping them off?”
“No. I can do the rest. Thanks for taking the kids to school today. Are you serious about me joining you three at the Rec Center?” I opened the hall closet, fingering through the coats, searching for a replacement for my red pea coat. “I don’t want to impose on whatever you guys are doing.”
“I am serious, and you’re not imposing. We can show you a few things that might help.”
“Help with what?” I pulled out a knee-length, blue wool trench coat with a matching belt that my mom had bought me years ago for Christmas.
“You’ll see.”
I pulled on the coat. “Will you bring my T-shirt, sports bra, and yoga pants for me?”
“Only if I’m allowed to fish in your underwear drawer while I’m at it,” he said with a glint in his eye.
I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Mr. Nyce, you can frolic in my underwear anytime you want.” I made a face at the image that popped in my head. “Wait. I think that came out wrong.”
He laughed.
“What I mean is—”
His kiss stopped the rest of my wo
rds, warming me clear to my toes. He tasted sweet, like maple syrup with a side of happily-ever-after. I wanted the tingling sensation he was stirring deep inside of me to go on and on until I keeled over and joined Prudence in the wispy world, but reality prevailed, butting its ugly head into our business.
“You have to go,” he said, his lips sliding to my ear, searing a path across my skin.
“Yeah,” I breathed in his scent, hungry for more of his touches.
He stepped back and tightened my belt. “Stop by my office today if you have a chance.” He opened the door for me.
I licked my lips. They felt swollen, along with my other throbbing parts that wanted Doc to finish what he’d started. “Okay. Why?”
Did it have to do with Cornelius and his ghost monitors?
He ran his finger down my sleeve. “I have an idea about you, this coat, your boots, and something from your underwear drawer.”
“Oh! Tell me more.”
“I’d rather show you, vixen.”
Another lip-tingling kiss later, I was on my way to hand off the troublesome clocks.
Chapter Twenty
The parking lot behind Calamity Jane Realty was empty except for an SUV and two pickups—none of which I recognized.
I was halfway across the snow-plowed parking lot when the door to Doc’s back entrance opened a crack. Cornelius’s head popped out. “Violet,” he called, waving me over.
What was he doing in Doc’s office this early? He opened the door wider, giving me a glimpse of his robe and striped pajama pants. Was he sleeping in Doc’s back room now, while curled up next to his camera monitors?
He held the door wide, making room for me and the two boxes I was carrying. “It’s about time,” he said as I neared.
His words stopped me. “How do you know I’m here about time?” Had Doc called and told him I was bringing him the clocks?
“Because time is nothing if not constant.” A frigid blast rippled my coat hem and tore at his robe. He pulled me inside, shutting out the cold.
“I don’t think we’re on the same page.” I stomped the slush off my boots onto Doc’s doormat.
“You mean you actually read?”
I glared up at him. “Of course I can read. I went to college.”
“I know you can read, but I thought you preferred moving pictures to printed words.”
He was right, which made me grind my molars. “What gave you that idea?”
“You quote movies, not books.”
“Stop analyzing me and take these damned clocks.”
He glanced down at my armload. “Those look like boxes.”
“The clocks are in the boxes.” I shoved them at him.
He tucked them under his arm. “Why are you bringing me clocks in boxes or rather boxes of clocks? And why don’t I hear any ticks or tocks coming from these boxes of clocks?”
I jammed my hands on my hips. “Do you hear yourself, Dr. Seuss?”
“Of course I hear myself. I can hear you, too. In fact, I can often hear those who go boo.”
“Son of a nutcracker! I might kill you today if you don’t stop talking like a character from a children’s book.”
“Ah ha! So you prefer to read young adult fiction.”
“You know what, I don’t have time for this. I have a breakfast meeting this morning and I need to grab something from my desk before I head over there.” I reached for the doorknob.
He blocked my path. “You can’t go over there yet.”
“Why not?”
“Follow me.” He handed the clock boxes back to me, leading the way into Doc’s back room with all of his monitors.
The place smelled of warm computer guts. I set the clock boxes on the floor inside the doorway and then joined him at his bank of computer screens now sitting on several folding tables.
He pointed at one of the monitors. “This is why I was waiting for you at the back door. The Tall Medium told me you were on your way when I called him.”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“Because the potential that you were still sleeping was high.”
“It was nice of you to be considerate.”
“It was self-preservation.” He hit a few letters on the keyboard. “Your early morning temperament leaves much to be desired.”
That was his fault for all of the times he’d called me at the butt crack of dawn, asking for me at the top of his lungs. “Ah, bite me.”
“My point proven.”
I snarled at him, and looked over his shoulder. A colored image of Calamity Jane’s front office filled the screen in front of him. The picture was much clearer than I’d expected. He must have forked out some serious dough for his equipment. The camera was positioned in the corner behind my desk, looking toward the dark hallway. I leaned closer, staring into the shadows, waiting for a ghost to float past. “What am I supposed to be looking at?”
“Your desk.”
My gaze lowered, zeroing in on my computer. “Why is my monitor lit up?” I crossed my arms. “Was Ray messing with my computer?” It would be like that jerk to dig through my emails, searching for some dirt to smear on me this morning at our meeting.
“No one has been in your office today to my knowledge.”
I frowned, leaning down again. “It looks like a document is open.”
“It is.”
“What’s going on?” I asked him.
“Your monitor came to life about ten minutes ago.”
“Did we have a power surge?”
“No, we have a ghost.”
He was being purposely ambiguous, one of his specialties. “Spell it out for me, Cornelius.”
“G-H-O-S-T.” When I threatened to clobber him, he frowned. “My attempt at levity was apparently misguided. You’re even tenser than usual this morning. Did you have a quarrel with your Tall Medium?”
He was right about the tension part. “Doc and I are fine and dandy. I had an issue with those clocks.”
“The clocks in the boxes.”
“Yes, those damned clocks,” I snapped before catching myself. “Sorry. I need you to do me a favor and keep an eye on them.”
“This sounds mysterious. To what end?”
“If they stop or start, you need to let me know immediately.”
“That does not seem particularly stimulating.”
“I’ll explain more when one of those changes occurs. Until then, do not touch the hands of the clocks. Simply take them out of the boxes and observe them.”
He stroked his goatee. “I’ll watch your clocks if you do me a favor in return.”
“What favor?”
“Go next door and read what’s on your computer screen.”
Focusing on the monitor, I asked, “Read it?”
“Yes, we did establish that you can read, correct?”
I poked him in the ribs. “Why do you want to know what’s on the screen?”
“When I zoom in, you can see that someone is typing.” The camera view enlarged, my computer dead center.
“Typing? As in present tense?”
“Correct. I believe your old boss is writing a list.”
My jaw dropped as I watched blurry letters pop up one by one on my screen. “Holy shit.”
“I need you to go over to confirm.”
“Me?” I took a step back, almost tripping on a tangle of cords. “Why don’t you go?”
“She hides whenever I step in the office. I suspect she knows I’m trying to interact with her.”
“How do we know she won’t leave when I go?”
“We don’t. However, we will once you make an attempt.”
“But … but I can’t see ghosts. What good will it do if … Hold on. I might not be able to see ghosts, but I know someone who can.”
I pulled out my cell phone.
Cooper took his time answering. “What do you want, Parker?” He sounded more weary than angry.
“Where are you?”
“That’s a stupid
question.”
“Just answer it.”
“If you’ve found another dead body, then I’m in Mexico.”
“I didn’t find a body.”
“It must be a fucking Christmas miracle.”
“Cooper! Where are you!?”
“I’m at my goddamned desk, who needs to know?”
“Me. Get off your stubborn ass and come over to Doc’s office.”
“I’m a little busy here. You may not realize it, Parker, but my world does not revolve around you.”
“Now, Coop!” I yelled in the phone and hung up on him. “That should piss him off enough to come chew me out in a hurry.”
Cornelius gave me one of his half smiles. “Has anyone ever told you that your relationship with the constables in this town is dysfunctional at best?”
“They started it.”
“Why mustn’t I touch those clocks?”
“They’re cursed.” That was the best I could think up on the fly.
“Cursed time pieces? Intriguing.”
It turned out I had long enough to visit the restroom before Cooper showed up, pounding on Doc’s front door.
“Parker!” I’d barely flipped the latch when he barged inside, his horns leading the way. “This had better be worth my fucking time.”
“Come with me.” Grabbing him by the forearm, I tugged him back outside. I stopped out of view of Calamity Jane’s plate-glass windows. “I need you to peek in at my desk and tell me if you see anything.”
Cooper scowled. “I don’t have time for games. Unlike you, I’ve been working all night and have things to wrap up before I go home this morning.”
“Dammit, Cooper. Just do it. You owe me after yesterday.”
His gaze hardened. “Ohhhh, now you’re going to play that card?”
“That’s right, Buster Brown, so get peeking.”
“That’s ‘Detective’ Buster Brown to you, and don’t you forget it.” He nudged me aside, giving me one last glare before doing as told.
I counted to five. “Well?” I whispered.
The bewildered expression on his face when he stepped back told me plenty.
“It’s Jane, isn’t it?”
“You know damned well who it is.” He rubbed his red-lined eyes.
A twinge of guilt hit me at how tired he looked. I should let him go home to Doc’s place and get some sleep, and I would shortly. But first, “What’s she doing?”