Esme shook her head no. "You don't want to know. It's sad, but that thing was so dumb. Where's the ghost?"
"I don't know. She's been disappearing a lot lately." I got up and headed toward the kitchen. "Anybody want a drink?"
I got us all a diet grape soda and made it back into the living room just in time for Nathan and Brad to come through the front door. Nate looked tired but other than that, he didn't look too stricken. I was glad because I'd hoped be he'd be able to take going back to work slowly.
"Oooh, pizza," Brad chirped. After he had given Esme a quick kiss, he grabbed a slice and plopped down on the floor.
"You were right about ordering three pizzas," Calinda said to Esme before she got up and went to the kitchen to grab another one.
"We can eat, honey. If you're going to hang with us, you'd better get used to that."
"I can eat like a bear," Calinda said and laughed. Esme shot her a look and shook her head no. We'd forgotten to tell her that Brad didn't know about us yet.
"Wait, why is there a goat?" Brad asked when Lyric and Jezebel ran past the living room again. "Esme, did you get a goat?" He asked warily.
"Why do you assume it's my goat?" She asked innocently while batting her eyes at Brad.
"Because for the last week I've thought I smelled goat in your house, and you've been keeping me from going in the garage. You were hiding the goat in the garage when I came over."
"I'm a grown up, Brad. I can buy a goat if I want to."
"You're right, sweetie. It is kinda cute even if a bit smelly."
"I'll put a bit of lavender oil on her. It'll be fine." Esme said.
After that, we ate. Eventually, Brad and Esme left to go to a movie. They didn't get the same night off very often. Calinda was left with Nate and me.
"So, Brad doesn't know about you, but Nate does?" She asked us.
"I thought she'd told him or he'd figured it out recently," I said. "But, some spell she did erased the memory. I think. Esme is a much more advanced witch than I am, and sometimes she uses her powers to experiment. Anyway, I'm sure she's going to tell him soon. "
"But, you took it okay?" She said to Nate. "You don't seem to mind any of this. A talking cat, a witch fiancée, and now a werebear sitting in your living room eating pizza."
"It was a bit earth shattering to find out that the world wasn't what I'd thought, but I love Lenny. She and Jezebel are my family. Heck, so are Brad and Esme. I'm still processing the existence of werebears, but I'm glad to meet you. I guess there are probably, even more, supernaturals out there too. The possibilities are endless. Aren't they?" Nate asked.
"They are. In fact, we found out that Dr. Corvin is a former grim reaper today." I said.
"What?"
I told Nathan the story that Dr. Corvin had shared with us earlier that day. He listened quietly and nodded. I could tell that he agreed with Dr. Corvin's decision.
"I just have one question," Nathan said.
"What's that?"
"Did you ever ask Dr. Corvin his first name?"
"Haha. I didn't. I bet Esme knows. I'll text her." I sent Esme a text message and waited. A few seconds later my phone beeped with her response.
Beltran
"His name is Dr. Beltran Corvin," I said.
"Good to know. I'm not sure where I was going with that." Nathan said and rubbed his chin at the thought. "I'm going to go to bed if that's alright with you ladies. My first day back took more out of me than I expected."
"Yes, go. We can talk about everything when you're not so tired." I said. Nathan kissed me goodnight and disappeared into the room he'd been using while staying with me.
I got sheets, blankets, and a pillow for Calinda. I sat in the arm chair, and we watched a movie until she fell asleep. After that, I put up the pizza, made sure the doors were locked and turned in for the night.
"Still no sign of Abby?" I asked Jezebel as she jumped up on my bed.
"She'll turn up. She's a ghost. It's not like anything bad could have happened to her." Jezebel said as she settled into the crook in my legs.
I hoped she was right.
The next morning, I found a note stating that Calinda had gone out for a run. It specifically said that she hadn't gone into the woods, and that I shouldn't worry. Calinda said that if I'd left for work by the time she got back, Esme had given her a key to her house.
It was very early, and I knew that I'd probably be here when she returned. I'd set to work making Nathan's lunch and hanging a clean uniform in the guest bathroom for him.
I'd needed breakfast for three that morning, so I decided on blueberry pancakes and sausage. I was done cooking just as Nathan appeared after his shower. His face lit up when he saw the giant stack of pancakes in the middle of the table.
"Those are for three people not just for you." I teased as I set the tray of sausage patties on the table.
Just as Nate sat down, Calinda came in from her run soaked with sweat but smiling the same way Nate was when he saw the pancakes. I was immediately suspicious.
"Why do you look like the cat who ate the canary?" I asked as she crossed the living room toward the kitchen.
"That is disgusting," Jezebel said as she sauntered into the room. "I would never eat a bird. I prefer my daily cream and vittles."
"I didn't go jogging alone," Calinda said, and she smiled wide. "Beltran, I mean Dr. Corvin, slipped me his phone number yesterday. I texted him this morning to ask if he wanted to go running with me. He did. It was a good workout. He is an accomplished runner."
"Hmm," I said, but her smile was infectious.
"Anyway, I'm going to shower. Do you think they'll be any food left when I'm done?"
"We'll save you some," I said and elbowed Nate playfully when he pouted.
Nate left for work, and I set Calinda up on my computer. She wanted to find some construction work since she'd considered staying for a while. Apparently, she liked working outside and being a werebear made her very strong.
I hoped Calinda would stay. She'd clicked with Esme and I. I wondered how long she'd want to sleep on my couch before she grew tired of it and would want more space.
When I pulled into the lot at work, I saw that Charles was already there. There wasn't another car around, so I assumed we'd have to wait for David. I couldn't for the life of me remember what time we'd scheduled the second interview for, but I knew it was in the morning.
"Lenny! Lenora is that you?" I heard Charles call from the bathroom. "Be a dear and come help me. The sinks stuck on, and the bathroom is a bit flooded."
"Oh, my! Okay." I said and rushed to where he was.
"There's a toolbox up in the attic. We need a wrench or something to shut the valve off."
I nodded my head and went to the attic door. After climbing up, I located the tool box. It was quite cumbersome, so I had to use a little levitation to get it back down to the main floor safely.
"Can I be of assistance?" David's voice made me jump half out of my skin. I'd been upstairs and hadn't heard him come into the office. "Let me take that."
His hand brushed against mine, and all of my anxiety melted away. I found myself grinning like a dumb kid, and gave him the box. "There's a problem with the sink in the bathroom. Charles is trying to stem the deluge. I need to find some towels."
David nodded at me, and I went to the kitchen to retrieve as many towels as I could while he joined Charles in the bathroom to wrangle the misbehaving plumbing. As I floated around in a blissful state, I hummed a happy little tune and found myself hoping that David would take the job.
Chapter Eight
"Well David, we were going to have you do a second interview, but seeing as how you showed up just in time to save our butts this morning..." Charles began.
"And you jumped in and handled things like a pro without a drop of hesitation," I interjected.
"Yes. We believe you'd be an asset to the paper. Lenora and I would like to extend an offer to you." Charles said and slid the paper wi
th the formal offer across the coffee table to David.
He picked it up and his eyebrows raised. "This is twenty thousand more than we discussed."
"I called our benefactor and talked with her." Charles cleared his throat. "I told her that we needed to sweeten the deal for you a little bit because it would be a shame to let such an exceptional candidate get away."
It occurred to me at that point that even Charles was fawning over David. I could totally understand, though. I mean, David was handsome, energetic, charismatic, and he was also a dang good plumber.
"You didn't have to do that," David said, and I could swear he even blushed a little. Such a sweet guy. "I was just hoping you'd offer me the position at all. I've kind of fallen in love with this place. I'd been hoping to make Tree's Hollow my home" When he said that, he was looking at me. It made my heart beat a little harder.
Good thing I was so in love with Nathan. David might have what it takes to turn my head a little, but Nate has my heart. So, I reassured myself that it was okay to notice David's dashing good looks and charming demeanor. That's all it was... An observation.
After David officially accepted the position, Charles told me I could go for the day. He'd said it was up to me whether I went out to investigate a story or just went home. A professional cleaning crew was on their way to make sure that the bathroom flood was properly handled, and the next day would be David's first on the job.
I decided that a little bit of a murder investigation was in order. So, I drove to the ranger station. It would be good to see Nathan at work, and he could show me where they'd found the body. Perhaps my intuition would tell me something about the crime if I got a few quiet minutes at the crime scene.
Nathan was out on one of the trails, but Shonda, one of the other rangers, radioed him, and he agreed to meet me. I didn't tell Shonda why I was there, so until I saw Nathan, he wouldn't have known either.
She pointed me down the trail Nathan was on and told me which marker to stop at. Fortunately, it was a straight shot, and I wouldn't have to change paths before I had Nate to guide me.
It was a ten-minute walk to get to the spot where we'd agreed to meet. I was glad that I'd thrown a pair of boots and socks into my Jeep because the dress shoes Id' worn for the interview would not have worked.
"Hey, sweetie," Nathan said happily before pulling me in for an affectionate kiss. He held me in his arms and looked down at me for a moment before nuzzling his nose against mine. "I love having you out here." When he pulled back, I could tell he'd figured out that I wasn't just there for a friendly visit. "You're not here for a romantic walk amongst the trees, are you?" Nate said and winked at me.
"I wouldn't bother you at work for that," I said, but I took his hand and laced my fingers in his. "Although, we should do that soon. You figured me out, though. I want you to take me to the site of the murder. I need to see if I can pick up on anything."
"Lenora, can't you let the police handle this one?" Nate called me by my formal name, and that meant he was serious. "The murder was brutal. I really want you to stay away from this. Plus, Calinda was attacked, and she only survived because she's a bear." That's when I noticed the gun holstered at his hip.
"You've got a gun," I said.
"Yeah, those of us who are trained to carry are armed until the murderer is caught, or the Park Service is convinced that they've moved on. Rangers who aren't trained in firearms are staying either at the station or close by. That's why Shonda told you to stop at this marker. I didn't want you going too far into the forest. I wish we could close the trails beyond this point, but we can't. There's no way of knowing where the murder is, or if he's even going to strike in this part of the park again. The trail where we found the woman is closed."
"It seems like a lot considering you just got back," I said.
"Lenny, I can handle it. I'm okay. Please stop acting like I'm fragile or broken. I was cleared for duty, and I'm trained for this."
"You're right. I'm sorry. I do need you to take me to the crime scene. I don't think the police can handle this. I've got the feeling that this murder isn't a man."
"You think it's a woman?" Nathan seemed confused for a moment. "Oh. Right. Okay. I'll take you. I don't think any of the other rangers are in that area right now, so we should be fine."
Nathan stood watch while I acclimated myself to the crime scene. It was a beautiful, but remote, stretch of trail that overlooked a grove of dense trees. The dirt path was lined with little clusters of yellow and purple flowers.
There was definitely a current of magic that flowed through the area. It was faint, but I could still pick it up. What I experienced was the remnant of the trap the killer had laid for the victim.
I could see her in my mind's eye jogging down the path. She looked out over the ridge and was enamored with the beauty of the forest below. All the while, the woman remained unaware that a predator was hiding in the brush a few feet from her.
She was sweaty and out of breath, so the woman decided to stop and have some water. She pulled the bottle from her pack and drank while taking in the scenery. I could feel how relaxed and euphoric she'd become.
Jogging the trails was something she'd regularly done to unwind from work. I couldn't tell exactly what her job was, but I knew that it was something stressful. Out in the forest, all of her tension would melt away, and this particular spot had her in an almost raptured state of bliss.
When she'd bent over to put the water bottle back in her pack, the woman had made herself even more vulnerable. That's when the killer struck.
I didn't want to see it happen, so I'd had to step out of the vision. But, I wanted to see who it was. I tried to focus on the person who'd grabbed her before I completely disengaged from the memory.
My stomach churned and I wretched as I saw his face. It was Nathan. I let out an anguished cry as I saw my beloved grab the woman and drag her into the brush. But the face changed, and it was Brad. Static filled my eyes, but when I shook it off, the killer was Esme. Calinda's face smiled back at me before the murder turned into one more person.
Then, the killer was me.
I felt my head swoon and my limbs felt as if they were floating away from me. I felt the dirt of the path under my knees before I realized I'd crumpled to the ground.
Nathan was immediately at my side. He knelt on the ground next to me and held me. I felt his steady hand stroke my hair, and I could hear his whispering soothing things in my ear.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I said as I tried to get myself under control.
"It's okay, baby. You're okay. Let's get you away from this place."
Nathan pulled me to my feet and helped me walk to another trail. Once I was far away from the crime scene, I began to feel better. Relief washed over me when my mind made the connection that neither myself nor anyone I loved was responsible for the murder. It also meant that I had no idea who had done it.
There was a clue. The killer's magic had reflected parts of my own mind back to me. That had to mean something. The only issue was that I had no idea what it meant. I didn't know that much about supernaturals, I hadn't even know werebears existed until I met Calinda, and my belief was that grim reapers were just a story until I met Dr. Corvin.
The internet might have some information, but you couldn't trust anything you read online. How was I going to figure this out?
"Lenny, babe. Where are you?" Nathan asked.
"I saw some things," I said.
It only took me a couple of minutes to explain the stuff I'd seen to Nathan, but in that time, I'd saw a shift in his face. He went from sympathetic listener to protective alpha male within seconds. His eyes burned with fury, but it wasn't directed at me.
"You should go home and rest." He said in a commanding voice. "I'm sure you and Calinda can find something relaxing to do until I get off work."
"I feel like I should tell you not to tell me what to do, but you're right. I feel drained." I did too. The experience at the crime scene had
knocked the wind out of me.
"I was supposed to keep this a secret, but given the circumstances, I feel like it's best you know." Nathan began. "Charles has a surprise party planned for you at the newspaper tonight. It's to celebrate your new position. He's going to call you around the time I get home and tell you that he needs you at the paper. I'm supposed to offer to drive you and convince you by telling you that we're going out to dinner after."
I smiled at the thought. "That's so sweet. Well, now that I know, we can take Calinda too."
Nathan leaned in and kissed me quickly before he spoke again. "I love how you always find the rainbow in the storm clouds."
I loved how he didn't get upset because I'd seen his face first and gotten sick at the thought of him being the killer. I probably would have been horrified if I'd thought that Nathan believed I could kill someone. He took it in stride. Or, if he didn't, he left it alone because I wasn't in good shape. Nathan was the best kind of man.
"Let's get back. I'm walking you to your Jeep." He said and took my hand.
Calinda and I spent the afternoon eating popcorn and goat sitting Lyric. Jezebel loved that. We watched a couple of cheesy romance movies, which I'd found out Calinda was addicted to and rested. She had a job interview the next afternoon with the only local construction company.
"So, you're thinking about sticking around Tree's Hollow for a while," I said when we took a break in between movies to make popcorn.
"Well, I need to earn money to get back to my cabin. I figured getting a job was the best way to do that. I can find somewhere else to stay if I'm imposing."
"That's not what I meant," I said with a smile. "I'm glad you're staying, but only if you really want to be here. Calinda, I would buy you a bus ticket or plane ticket home if you want to go. You could pay me back later. You don't have to stay in Tree's Hollow."
"I think I want to stay, Lenny." She said and put the bag of popcorn in the microwave. "There isn't much waiting for me back at the cabin in Missouri. I'd become a loner, and not because I wanted to be one. Everyone was gone. I think that's why my bear went running. We're not pack animals the way the wolves are, but nobody wants to be alone."
Brewing Fun (Tree's Hollow Witches Book 4) Page 4