by Bonnie Gill
“I wish I’d heard what spell they were trying to cast.” He took out his flashlight and pointed the beam at the spell book. “The page is open to a banishing spell.”
“Do you think they were trying to banish the Gnome?” Ottar pointed at the campfire and salt ring.
“It’s possible. Abby seemed pretty shaken up by it.” He scanned the area with his flashlight noticing a reflection bouncing off a shiny object. River walked over and picked up the pot. The inside was coated with black wax. “I wonder why the candle exploded?”
“Those two girls are trouble. What if they made that candle explode?”
River strode back over to the book and read through the spell. “There’s nothing in here about the candle blowing up. It says the flame was supposed to die in the water.”
“Did you see those possums go off like a bucket of prawns in the sun? That was freaky, ey. Red-eyed buggers storming the scene. I never saw anything like that, mate.” Ottar looked down and shook his head.
“It’s simple. The explosion noise startled the possums and flushed them out of the tall grass.”
Footsteps sounded off down the steps of Pepper’s house and River looked up. Abby and Pepper waited on the bottom step, fully clothed now, much to his chagrin, and watched them with their hands planted firmly on their hips. From the expressions on their faces they weren’t happy to see them.
“River? What are you doing here?” Abby’s lips tightened along with her expression.
He tried to cover their spying. “I came to check on you. I was worried about you after the accident.”
“Where’s your car?” She looked down the long driveway, extending her neck to emphasize her point.
Shoot. He’d been in such a hurry to investigate the spell scene he forgot they parked the car down the street. “Well, it was such a beautiful night we decided to walk over.”
Abby tilted her head and stared at him. Disbelief was plastered all over her pretty face. “Uh huh. Well, I’m okay. Pepper checked me over and I’ll take my car in tomorrow to have it looked at. Thanks for coming over. I’m tired and going to bed.” She turned and stalked toward the door.
Pepper crossed her arms and stayed planted on the steps. She thrust an index finger out at Ottar. “Is he the asshole that shot my dinosaur?”
Oh boy. Here it comes. “Pepper meet Ottar. Yes, he’s the shooter. And he’s here to apologize. Right, Ottar?”
If Ottar’s eyes could have shot silver bullets into River’s chest, he’d be flat on his back right now. The big Aussie nodded at Pepper, then fidgeted around like a guilty child, wringing his hands. His eyes met her cool, steely blue gaze, then he lifted two palms as if in surrender to Pepper’s anger. “Um yeah. I’m here to say I’m really sorry for shooting your lawn statue. Although, only a yabbo would keep a . . .”
“See,” River interrupted, elbowing Ottar’s side to stop him from making this situation any worse. “He’s going to fix it next week, but needs to order some supplies first.”
“Jerk.” Pepper shot out at Ottar.
Ottar remained quiet. River looked on in horror as the big Aussie wore a silly, stupid smile for some odd reason.
Abby stormed back out the door, her teeth bared. “Were you guys spying on us? How come you painted camouflage on your faces?”
Shit.
He looked at Ottar wishing he could come up with an excuse, but when Ottar said nothing, he explained, “We wanted to blend with the woods when we went for our walk. You never know what you can stumble on if no one knows you’re there.” Abby wouldn’t buy it, but was worth a try.
Her hands went to her narrow hips while her amber brows ruffled. She wasn’t believing his story. He had to think of something quick. “It looks like you two were up to no good.” He picked up the spell book. “Practicing witchcraft?”
Pepper darted forward and grabbed the book out of his hands. “Give me that. Last time I heard witchcraft isn’t against the law.”
He lowered his brows. “You’re right. It isn’t, unless you’re sacrificing an animal or human. You’re not doing any sacrificing, are you?”
Both girls reared back as if he just shot flaming arrows at them.
“Have you lost your mind?” Pepper asked.
“No, of course not. You know better than that.” Abby’s face revealed a look of disgust.
“You girls need to be careful. Playing with magic has consequences.” He didn’t want to get into some lame lecture, but clearly these women didn’t have a clue on spell casting. “You best beware playing with things you don’t understand.”
“We will.” Pepper chimed in. “Just having some fun on such a beautiful evening.”
He couldn’t help but notice how quiet Ottar was. Something is wrong here. Very, very wrong.
“Well, we’ve got law enforcement issues to deal with. We’ll leave you girls alone, but no more magic.”
Both girls nodded and headed back to their house.
He turned his aggravation on Ottar. “What the heck is going on with you?”
Ottar lowered his head. “That Pepper . . . I think she’s bewitched me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“She must have placed a spell on me. Do you believe in love at first sight?”
“Oh, hell no!” Where was he going with this? All he’d heard from Ottar since he’d arrived in Jersey was how he’d been preoccupied on the L.A.M.P.S. investigation because of his obvious distraction with Abby. He looked over at his supervisor and saw the worst thing ever behind his eyes. Ottar had been entranced by Pepper. River wiped his hand across his face, and grinned. Pepper just might give the egotistical lug a chase Ottar would never forget.
Chapter 18
The magic store closed on Fridays so Abby decided to help Pepper unpack her stock order. How convenient for them, she thought, since they sold her a faulty candle.
“Where should I put these?” She asked Pepper. She held up two plastic packages with pictures of dogs on the front of them.
“I’m only selling one of them. It can go over here.” Pepper pointed to an empty hanger on the display of collars and leashes. “The other is a surprise for you.”
She flipped the package over. “What is it?” Inside was a gadget connected to a collar.
“That is a camera collar. I figured if the spell didn’t work, we could monitor what you do when you’re the Jersey Devil.” She smiled, only it was more than a smile. The smile displayed hope, the kind of hope that a lighthouse provides on a foggy night to ships hopelessly lost at sea. Pepper’s smile signified to Abby that Pepper had her back even if she really had become some sort of a monster.
“You mean you’ll be able to see everything I do?” Technology was awesome.
“Everything you do. Everything you eat. Everything, even what it looks like to fly. Seriously, I can’t wait. I even splurged for the special one that will record in the dark. I think it’s some sort of night vision or infra-red technology.” Pepper took the package from her and turned it back and forth with a perplexed look. “I hate all this plastic they use for packages.” She grabbed a pair of scissors and cut around the collar to open the heavy plastic encasement. “I bought the extra-extra-large size in your favorite color. See it’s Pink.” Pepper pulled out the contents and flung the empty package into the garbage.
“How does it work?” She hesitated before she plucked the collar from Pepper’s hand.
Pepper exhibited her I’m-so-smart expression and pointed to the collar. “You sync it to the computer and wear it. It’s really not rocket science, but I thought the idea was pretty clever.” Her eyebrows arched and Pepper thrust her chin out high.
Abby unbuckled the collar and placed it around her neck. “It’s way too big.” She hooked her thumb up under the woven collar and
held out about five inches of excess.
“That’s because when you’re the Jersey Devil your head gets bigger. It needs room to expand.”
She unlatched the collar and placed it on the table. “Hopefully my mom’s neighbor will mail me my grandmother’s journal so I won’t need to wear it.”
Pepper’s smile drooped, and she gently patted Abby’s hand. “This is a backup plan.”
She flashed the biggest smile she could muster. “It’s a good idea. Thank you.” Abby didn’t intend to hurt Pepper’s feelings. After all that Pepper had sacrificed for her, she really appreciated having her as a friend. She tugged on Pepper’s arm and pulled her into a big hug. “It’s a brilliant plan.”
Pepper pulled back, and then pointed her finger at her as if giving her an order. “You just have to remember to wear it when you get your period.”
“Okay.” She stuck the contraption in her purse. “I don’t think our spell worked last night.”
“I don’t either. I’m so sorry. How much do you think River and Ottar saw?”
She threw her arms in the air. “I’m guessing they pretty much saw the whole thing. I heard something before we started the spell but I thought it was one of your dogs.” She couldn’t hide the disappointment in her voice.
Pepper shook her head. “No, I had the dogs locked up.”
“Exactly.” That meant River and his down-under mercenary or whatever he was, saw the whole disaster. Including the red-eyed possums. She wrinkled her nose. He must think she’s nuts.
“How come they didn’t stop us?” Pepper asked.
“Would you have stopped us if you were a guy? Those perverts watched us dance naked. For over an hour.” Shame on the two busybody voyeurs for sneaking around in the dark hidden by camouflage paint.
Pepper’s eyebrows pinched together. “They shouldn’t have been spying on us. Isn’t it against the law to peep on people?”
Abby shrugged. “Who knows? My guess is they can cover their butts with some sheriff law or something.” She was sure River could say they had probable cause or suspicion to back him up. This whole darn thing was taking a turn from bad to horrible. Ripping open the top of another shipping box, she stacked more dog toys near the front door display.
Pepper piped in. “Hey. You didn’t tell me that Ottar was super-hot.”
She rolled her eyes. What? Was she attracted to him or something? That’s all she needed to hear right now. “I said he was good looking if Rambo is your type. Which it usually isn’t.” Good God, I hope Pepper doesn’t get the hots for this guy. The two would mix like fireworks and gasoline.
“Yeah, well,” she paused as if she’d changed her mind. “He better have my dinosaur repaired by next week.”
Ding.
Abby looked up from the box.
The bell above the door rang, and suddenly in walked Sheriff River and Hercules the He-Dog of all dogs.
“Hello, ladies.” River touched the brim of his hat but didn’t tip it up.
“Sheriff?” Abby and Pepper both said at once and looked at each other.
“You owe me a six pack,” she said to Pepper. Abby looked back at the sheriff and her face felt like it was on fire. Darn. She hated the sensation when she blushed. She even told herself that if she saw him again she wouldn’t blush. Now here she stood in broad daylight, Miss Red Face.
“Abby, may I have a word with you?” the Sheriff asked. He drew his chin to the side asking for a private conversation.
She walked over a couple of aisles through the store, and River followed.
“I’m sorry about last night.” He looked down at his shoes.
“Sorry because you lied? Or sorry because you assumed the guise of a Peeping Tom?” Abby vowed to stay firm. No way did she want him to think he could get away with either. He should be ashamed of his behavior, and if he didn’t realize it she was sure going to call him on it.
“I’m sorry I lied. I was watching you because of the . . . Never mind.”
She stepped in closer. “Wait. What were you going to say? Was it because of the Gnome?”
“You saw it?” River’s expression looked like he’d just been slapped across the face.
Abby stepped in even closer. She invaded his space and stared into his eyes. “Of course I saw it. Do you think I’m an idiot or something? A little man bounced off my car and left a huge dent, for Christ’s sake. But you knew that. Didn’t you? Because you were hunting it. You and Ottar. Just like you’re hunting the Jersey Devil.”
River didn’t say anything. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other before he nodded once.
Abby slammed her hands down on her hips. “You’re some kind of monster hunters, aren’t you?”
He looked away, then confessed. “Something like that.” River’s words seemed to drop off a cliff when he spoke them.
Abby couldn’t believe it. Well, she could. She’d seen the evidence. Tried to fool herself despite it all. The guns. The books detailing the Jersey Devil. She hoped beyond all hopes that she’d assumed wrong. Darn him.
“Do you and Ottar go after a lot of monsters?”
He gave one more nod, his face marble hard and serious. His features didn’t move. She’d hate to go up against him in a hand of poker.
“Do you belong to some secret monster hunting club? Wait, let me guess. Something like that. Right?” She smeared her lip balm on her lips and paced four steps and turned.
Another nod with a serious expression.
She cleared her throat. “Are you any good at what you do?”
“The best.” His chest raised up, and the muscles in his jaw hardened to indicate pride.
Great. Just freaking great. Now she had some super-duper monster-busters hunting her, and she couldn’t even remember what she did when she changed into the Jersey Devil. For all she knew, she could be a stupid beast and fly right into one of their traps. This was So. Not. Good.
She backed away from him. “Well I hope you catch that nasty Gnome.” She deliberately left out the Jersey Devil. She didn’t want to jinx herself.
“Oh we’ll catch the Gnome and the Jersey Devil, even if we have to kill them.” The determination in his voice was like a knife slicing across her chest.
She tried to swallow, but it felt like a large rawhide bone stuck sideways in her throat. “What if they don’t mean us any harm?”
River assumed his Sheriff stance. “Listen, Abby. They are both extremely dangerous. You and Pepper should not be out at night. Especially making a lot of noise and dancing in the nude. It’s not a joke. There’s real danger here, and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
A joke? Clearly he had no idea what they had been up to. “What we were doing last night wasn’t a joke.” She turned and walked away. She didn’t have to put up with this. No matter how cute or sweet he was.
“Wait.” His voice almost had a desperate tone to it. She stopped, but refused to turn and rubbed the knot forming in the back of her neck.
River rushed to her side and with gentle hands, lifted her elbow. “I came over here to apologize. To see if you’ll go out to lunch with me.”
She pivoted to face him. Why does he have to be hunting me? Why did he have to have such a sweet side? “No. I have to work.”
“She can take her lunch now.” Pepper called out from the front of the store. Apparently her best friend had bionic supersonic hearing.
Abby wrinkled her forehead. “I have to finish unpacking the stock order. And what about Kazoo?” She’d brought him to work with her today.
“You can bring him, too. I made a picnic lunch.” River’s smile lit up his sculptured cheekbones making him look even more rugged and man sexy.
“I can finish the stock order.” Pepper’s voice carried out over the aisle, releasi
ng Abby from her responsibilities. Why did she keep pushing me toward River? What good would come out of it?
“There. See. It’s all settled. Let’s go.”
“Okay. Let me get a few things.” She picked up her purse and then attached a leash on Kazoo’s collar. “Your dog won’t eat my dog on this picnic, right?”
Hercules walked up to Kazoo. His big wet tongue slurped across the little dog’s face. Kazoo nipped at the huge dog’s nose and wagged his tail.
River let out a chuckle. “I guess that answers your question.”
“He could be tasting him.” She wouldn’t mind a taste of River. Darn she needed to get her thoughts under a splash of freezing water to cool the erotic pictures streaming through her mind. For some reason she was attracted to River like dogs were drawn to smelly things. She pictured herself rolling around on River’s body to rub his scent all over her. This had to be part of the curse. Never before had she been attracted to someone so quickly or so strongly.
He held the door for her as they walked out. His squad car waited for them in a space in front of the store. He put Hercules’ blanket in the back seat, then opened the passenger door for her and Kazoo. The glass was smudged and foggy with dried doggy drool.
“Sorry about the slobber on the window.” River let out an embarrassed laugh.
She sat in the passenger seat with Kazoo on her lap. The tiny brown and black pup seemed up for the adventure, and while he shivered, he kept looking at the massive Hercules pouting in the back seat. Kazoo stretched his neck with his button nose in the air. He’d taken Hercules’s seat, and he knew it.