by Bonnie Gill
Ottar whipped out his smart phone and flipped through six pictures displaying on the screen. “She has several used tickets to London and Dublin.”
River pulled the phone closer to him. “What is the time span?”
“The earliest are from two years ago and the latest is as recent as a couple months. She had several chances to bring the Gnome home or set up delivery.”
River pushed Ottar’s hand away and kept his eyes on the road. “I found a bunch of overdue bills. She could be using the Gnome to search for treasure. This puts Charlotte at the top of our suspect list. Did you find anything else?”
“Na. Just a bunch of designer underwear.” Ottar grinned and jiggled his eyebrows up and down.
River pulled into the police station parking lot and they both went inside. Hercules bounced, barked, then trounced River. Only eight hours had passed, but by the way Hercules acted it was as if he had left him for a week. His full jowls left a string of drool across River’s face.
Ottar patted Hercules on the head. “What a beast.”
River straightened. “He was on the euthanasia list, but I saved him.”
Hercules rolled on his back and River rubbed his belly.
“He’s built like a shithouse. Are you sure he’s not a Cryptid? Strewth. How much does he weigh?”
“He’s a hundred and seventy pounds of slobber machine. I thought he could help us hunt the Jersey Devil and Gnome, since Mr. Livingston’s dog got attacked.”
Ottar shook his head. “Using your dog to catch the monsters sounds like a bad idea to me.”
“I won’t let anything happen to him.” And he wouldn’t. He’d become too attached to the big guy to lose him now. “Let’s go back to my place and look through the books you brought.”
Ottar opened the door for River and Hercules. “I’ve got some ideas for traps to set in the forest. If there’s a monster out there, we will find it.”
Chapter 13
Abby blinked sleep from her eyes and rolled over in her bed. Her body tingled, and she smiled wanting to linger in the happy feelings the dream about River inspired. But, a sharp adrenaline ping brought her back from dreamland. In a couple of weeks, River and his barbarian friend would target her in a hunt. Time was running short.
Last night she’d waited up for Pepper, but when three o’clock rolled around, sleep engulfed her. Was Pepper in some kind of trouble? She dragged her arm across her forehead and kicked off the covers.
“Time to go to work, Kazoo.” She patted her dog on the head and then headed for the shower.
While soaping up under the stream of pulsing water, her thoughts turned to River. She imagined his big skillful hands gliding over her body and his lips upon hers. His gentle touch and those kisses—they were an orgasm waiting to happen. What was she doing here? Fantasizing about him like this? She winced. She needed some space in order to process this, some distance. Thank goodness River told her he’d be busy with Ottar the next few days.
Abby fed all of Pepper’s animals and was cleaning up her breakfast dishes when Pepper strolled in the back door.
“Abby dabby doo! I’m home.” She smiled a huge smile. “I got some.” Her grin grew even bigger. She tossed her keys on the counter.
“You’re kidding. Who?” Abby asked.
“Well let’s just say Thomas isn’t quite so creepy after a few drinks.”
“No way. You didn’t.” Gross. How Pepper could possibly have gone there she didn’t get.
Pepper poured herself a glass of orange juice and gulped half of it down. “Yes, I did and it wasn’t too bad. But it was a one-shot deal.” Abby glanced at her friend’s long blond hair. Pepper liked men a lot, but they usually didn’t last after one or two dates before she got a case of the yuckies. When she couldn’t look at them for more than a minute before thinking, “Yucky”.
Pepper drained the rest of her glass. “How about you? Did you get lucky?”
“I won’t kiss and blab,” she teased.
Pepper slumped down in a kitchen chair and let out a sigh. “That means nothing happened.”
“What do you expect?”
Pepper shrugged. “Did you at least get a kiss?”
Abby fought to keep her smile from emerging, but the feeling of River’s kiss overrode her control. “It was a nice kiss.”
Pepper’s eyes enlarged, and she bounced on the edge of her chair. “See, I knew it! You guys are perfect for each other. What happened?”
“Nothing. It was just a kiss. I want to take it slow with River.” Her memory flashed to Ottar’s interruption. So super-happy they hadn’t gone any further. Speaking of Ottar. “Oh, by the way, River’s friend Ottar is visiting. He’s the one who shot your dinosaur.”
Pepper blinked her eyes several times. “What did you mean by shot my dinosaur?” She asked the question slow and enunciated each word as if she was giving Abby a chance to change her statement.
Abby dried a dish and placed it in the cabinet. Maybe if she downplayed the incident, Pepper wouldn’t freak out. “Exactly how it sounds. He shot it. With a gun. He thought it was some kind of creature. Take a look for yourself.”
Pepper raced out the back door and stood stationary while she looked up at the dinosaur’s head. Abby tugged the hem of her shirt down, and followed her outside. A huge abysmal hole remained where Ottar blew out the grapefruit sized glass eye.
Pepper’s face blazed a bright red. She slammed her hands on her hips, and then raised them, then put them back on her hips. “What an idiot. What the heck is his problem? Did River say anything to him? Did he arrest him for destroying private property?” Pepper fired out questions like tennis balls shooting from one of those launching machines.
“He said he couldn’t wait to see what you’d do to Ottar when you found out.” Abby felt bad for Pepper. That statue held huge sentimental value, and she knew Pepper would make him pay one way or another. Abby sneaked a smile. She wanted to be present when it happened, too.
Pepper looked up at the mangled head and shaded her eyes from the glaring early morning sun. “There’s something sticking out of it.” She bolted toward the barn and vanished through the open door.
A few seconds later, Pepper propped a ladder against the dinosaur’s neck. She scampered up the rails to examine the damage. She pulled something out of the hole and thrust it out for Abby to see. “That asshole used a tranquilizer dart big enough to pull down three huge rhinos. It shattered the eye.” She climbed down the ladder. “I hope he’s not going to poach our woods.”
“They’re planning to hunt the Jersey Devil. And from what I’ve seen, he’s the type that won’t stop until they find it.”
Pepper put her arm around Abby’s shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I mean . . . I don’t know. River seems more determined now than ever. And Ottar, well, just think of a psychotic Rambo Crocodile Dundee on steroids.”
“Really?” Intrigue filled Pepper’s voice, and she raised one eyebrow.
“Yes. Really. He’s good looking in a wild savage kind of way, if you can stomach guys who kill animals. I wouldn’t doubt he eats them, too.” There, that should squash Pepper’s curiosity.
“I’m going over there.” Pepper blew out a heavy breath causing her long blond bangs to rise.
“Right now?” Abby turned and watched Pepper kick a stone off the ground.
“Of course. We’re running out of time. How long ‘till your next period?”
“Maybe two, three weeks? I’ve never been very regular.” It could even be less than a week if Abby was stressed out, like now.
Pepper tossed up a finger. “Don’t worry, Abs. We’ll think of something to fight this together.”
“I need to buy black candles for the curse removing spell I found on the internet. Can I
leave work a couple hours early to run to a witchcraft store? It’s about an hour from here.”
“Yes. But first you’re coming with me to Sheriff Stone’s house.” She pulled down the ladder and headed back to the barn.
River bolted awake.
“Let’s go Pepper.” Abby’s soft voice interrupted the racket of banging, shouting, and barking.
“I’m not going anywhere until they open the door!” Pepper punctuated her words with her pounding fist on the door. “Their cars are in the driveway. I hear Hercules barking!”
Seven thirty-two blinked back at him from the digital clock. Great, a half-hour’s sleep and now I get to deal with two angry women.
Ottar opened River’s bedroom door, and thumbed back toward all the noise. “Are you going to get that, or are we trying to ignore them?”
If ignoring them was an option he would have taken it, but he had a feeling they wouldn’t go away. “I’ll handle this.” Throwing the covers aside, he swung his legs around and pulled on a pair of jeans. “You may want to stay in your room.”
Ottar shook his head vigorously. Long brown hair emphasized his bravado. “I’m not afraid of a fugly vegan Flintstone groupie.”
River ran his hands through his hair and put on a baseball cap. That’s all he needed—Pepper and Ottar in the same damn room. “Maybe you should be. Besides, this will be over faster if you’re not around.”
“Okay. Okay. I’ll be close by though.”
River marched past Hercules and opened the front door. Pepper’s brows lowered and she clenched her fists by her sides. Abby wore an apologetic look, she let out a long sigh, and hunched her shoulders a tad. Damn, she was so beautiful it almost made his breath catch.
“Good morning, ladies. What can I do for you?” He winked at Abby.
Pepper squared up with him. “Don’t give me any of that good morning crap. Where is he?”
River tilted his head. Pepper was pissed. “I suppose you mean Ottar?”
“Yes! The jackass who shot my dinosaur with a tranquilizer.” She raised the dart and swished it in front of his face.
River grabbed the dart from her hand. “We were going to come over this afternoon and discuss this with you.”
“Discuss it now. I want him arrested. If you won’t do it . . . I’ll force a citizen’s arrest! Don’t try to hide him from me.”
Abby leaned against one of the porch beams, her arms crossed, and a hint of a smile spreading across her cherry-ChapStick softened lips. He chose his words very carefully. He didn’t want to lose what little trust they’d built together. On the other hand, he didn’t want to throw Ottar to a couple of pissed off females, either. Ottar would stir the situation into a fiasco.
“How about I promise you he’ll repair the damage?”
Pepper lunged, and got up in his face. Her pupils constricted and she huffed out her reply. “He would have to make it look like it did before he destroyed it. I want both eyes to match. What the hell was he thinking? Why would he think it was alive?”
Oh shit. He hadn’t come up with an explanation yet. “He thought he saw it move. Honestly, I think he couldn’t tell what the huge thing was.”
“So he just shoots things? Without identifying them first? He’s a goddamned psycho, and dangerous, that’s what he is! What if he shot one of my horses? Where is he?” She placed her foot over the threshold and tried to push River aside.
He grabbed Pepper’s arm and blocked the doorway. “Now hold it right there. I told you he will make the repairs or he’ll pay for it. Either way, your property will be restored.”
Pepper jerked her chin upward and stabbed her finger into his chest. “You better see to it. And you’d better put a leash on him before he shoots up the town.”
Everyone’s attention turned when a champagne colored Cadillac CRX pulled into River’s driveway.
Charlotte waved her hand out the window and proceeded to blow the horn. Just wonderful.
Abby’s amused smile dropped to a frown when she recognized Charlotte.
“River.” Charlotte called out, and bustled out of the car. She shut the car door and held up a brown paper bag in her hand. “You forgot to take your leftovers from breakfast.” She thrust the bag in front of her and toddled on her heels to close the distance.
“Um, thanks, Charlotte. You know Abby and Pepper.” He nodded toward them.
“Yes.” She ignored them and didn’t so much as give them a friendly hello. She handed River the bag of food. “I have to run. Let’s do it again sometime. Ta-ta for now.” She actually had the nerve to blow him a kiss.
Good God. Why the devil did she do that?
Charlotte amplified the sway of her hips as she strutted her way back to her car.
Abby pursed her mouth and he imagined puffs of steam rising from her ears. He focused on her soft lips. They were the only things he longed for.
Damn Charlotte and her slutty ways. Her timing totally sucked the joy out of seeing Abby this morning.
“I swear, Abby. It’s not what it looks like.”
“And just what’s it supposed to look like?” She crossed her arms then uncrossed them, and looked away from him. The flustered look of her trying not to look flustered excited him.
At least Abby cares enough to get upset. He wondered if she saw right through Charlotte just like he did.
“I was driving around with Ottar this morning and we drove past Charlotte’s house. She only made us breakfast. I swear.”
Abby rolled her eyes, shook her head, and took Pepper by the arm. “Uh huh. Come on Pepper. Let’s go. Sheriff, tell Ottar he’s got less than a month to fix Pepper’s dinosaur.”
River watched the women march back to their car, get in, and pull out of the driveway. He smacked the doorframe. Charlotte had made sure she screwed things up with Abby. He dragged himself back into the house.
Now all he had to do was convince Ottar to repair the dinosaur.
Chapter 14
Abby unlocked the pet store door and flipped on the switch to ignite the OPEN sign. The fragrant scent of dog food and birdseed filled the air. Pepper took the morning off to run errands to the post office, Target, and wash the truck. Which was okay by Abby. She enjoyed the tranquil quiet of the store in the morning.
Abby wished Charlotte would set her love radar on someone other than River. What was wrong with her? She’d nearly hyperventilated when Charlotte showed up at his house carrying breakfast leftovers. The small taste she’d enjoyed of River’s affection was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. She definitely wanted to experience it again. And again.
Oh jeez. Was she falling for him? Getting involved with another man so soon after getting burned by Burt and his mime-hussy wasn’t her smartest move.
She tensed. Throw in the tiny detail that River wanted to kill her, only he didn’t know it yet. Crap! When he found out she’d been cursed to be the Jersey Devil . . . Not the best way to start a relationship.
Abby set to work and ignored the obvious. First, she took care of the puppies, cleaned their pens, fed, and watered them. She then straightened out the shelves of fish food, Sponge Bob fish tank ornaments, and aquarium filter equipment. She played with the puppies and kissed their small cold noses. After she performed all her early morning duties, she sat down at the computer.
She looked down as her cell phone rang. Her mother’s phone number flashed back at her on the caller ID.
“Hey, Mom.”
“You know, we all thought your grandmother was crazy, but I remember her keeping a daily journal.” Typical Mom. Straight to the point. No sense wasting time on pleasantries.
Abby’s heart beat a happy thumpity thump. “Wow. Do you think that journal has any information about the curse?”
“I would think so. She was alw
ays rambling on about some genie and skipping a generation. I remember seeing formulas on containing the curse in there.” She sighed. “I wonder if mental illness is hereditary.”
“Mom, I’m not crazy. Pepper saw me change. The curse is real.”
“I just hope you two aren’t doing any kind of drugs. Maybe I should call the sheriff and ask him to keep a close eye on you and Pepper.”
Abby shook her head. “No, Mom. Don’t. I’ve been . . . Sort of seeing the sheriff.” And wishing she could have seen more of him. Charlotte’s earlier flirting gagged Abby. What if River liked that sort-of-thing?
“Good. I’m so glad you and what’s-his-name broke up.” There was no sympathy in her mother’s voice.
“Can you just please send me Grandma’s journal?”
“I’m still out of the country, sweetie. It’s stored in my attic in Florida. I have a neighbor watering my plants every other day. Why don’t you call and ask him to look for it?”
“Great. What’s his number?” She would call him right now.
Abby’s mom repeated the phone number five times for her and ended the call. This was great news. Hopefully, her mother’s neighbor would be home and willing to search for the Journal.
Abby dialed the number, voicemail answered, and she left a message.
What information did the diary contain? What kind of formulas? Did her answer to this stupid curse lay in an attic in Florida? She wished her grandmother was still alive, or that she could have gotten to know her before she passed.