by Lyndsey Cole
“Do you want company?” Jason asked.
Annie waved her hand. “No need. You two catch up with each other. I won’t be long.” She added another layer over her fleece jacket since the wind would likely be fierce coming across the lake. She waved goodbye and walked outside with Roxy dancing at her side.
“I would really prefer to stay home with you and Jason tonight, Roxy, but it doesn’t look like that’s the plan.” Annie walked along the trail with her hands stuffed deep into her pockets while Roxy dashed back and forth sniffing any new and interesting scents only her nose could follow.
Annie wondered if it was only the Halloween party that brought Brian back to town. It wasn’t like he ever visited, so she wondered if there was another reason. Jason hadn’t mentioned him coming. By the look of what he was driving, he must be doing well. She had no idea what his business was, but she did know he traveled all over the world. What pulled him back to the small town of Catfish Cove where there wasn’t a whole lot to provide excitement after his glitzy life? Maybe he was interested in adopting a Maine Coon cat from Kitty, she chuckled to herself.
The branches over the trail creaked and cracked as they swayed in the wind. Carved pumpkins decorated the front steps of the homes facing the lake. By the looks of it, even the second homes were occupied for the Halloween weekend.
Annie turned around when she came to the bend in the lake, whistled for Roxy, and tucked her head into the wind as she headed home. As she came abreast of Thelma Dodd’s house, she noticed Thelma sitting in her living room. Roxy had already turned up the path so Annie decided a quick stop couldn’t hurt. Not that it was ever quick when she dropped in to visit her elderly neighbor, but that was okay as far as Annie was concerned. Chatting with Thelma was always a pleasure and Annie wasn’t anxious to hang out with Brian.
Annie knocked before she tried the doorknob. It turned and Roxy squeezed through the opening before Annie had a chance to call out to Thelma.
“Hello, Roxy. Did you bring Annie along, too?” Annie heard Thelma’s one-sided conversation as she stepped into her kitchen.
“Hi, Thelma,” Annie called out. “Roxy can’t ever pass your path without stopping for a dog treat.”
Annie heard a chuckle and a jar opening. “Here you go.”
Annie turned into the living room and was comforted by the familiar sight: Roxy sat next to Thelma’s knee and gently took the offered treat. “Such a good girl.” Thelma patted Roxy’s head before she lay on the floor to enjoy the dog bone. “How are you, Annie?”
Annie settled in a comfy chair across from Thelma. “I’ve been tricked into going to a Halloween party tonight.”
“You must be talking about the bash at Kitty Brown’s house. My son told me about it when he dropped off some chocolate cupcakes.”
“Have you had one yet?” Annie hoped they weren’t from the batch that Leona mixed up the salt and sugar.
“Yes. And they are delicious—moist and tender, just the way I like them. Help yourself to one if you want. They’re on a tray in the kitchen next to the teapot, which should still be hot.”
Annie got the tray from the kitchen and set it next to Thelma’s chair. She poured herself a cup of tea and refilled Thelma’s cup before she sat down again.
Thelma picked up her folded paper. “While you’re here, can you help me with the latest crossword puzzle? Of course it’s a Halloween theme.”
Annie sipped her peppermint tea. This had become a regular routine when she stopped to visit Thelma. The puzzle was never hard but for some reason the answers stumped Thelma. Or, she enjoyed letting Annie come up with the answers.
“Okay. I have the first answer—skeleton. The next clue is, an apparition, five letters and the third letter is O.” Thelma looked at Annie while she tapped her pencil on her chin.
“Hmm. Ghost?”
“That fits. I’ll write it in pencil in case I need to erase it.” Thelma filled in the letters. “This next one is easy—flies on a broomstick. That has to be witch,” she said more to herself than to Annie. She looked up after she filled in the letters and abruptly changed the subject. “What costume are you wearing to the party, Annie?”
“Jason didn’t tell me yet. He kind of surprised me with this whole Halloween party thing that his friend Brian Springer convinced him to go to.”
“Brian Springer,” Thelma repeated. “Now, why does that name ring a bell?”
“He was kind of a jerk from what I can remember, but he and Jason were good friends from way back.”
“Oh, yes, he broke a lot of hearts before he left town. What does he do now?”
Annie shrugged. “All I know is that he travels all over the world and by the car he drives, I’m guessing that he makes a ton of money. I’m curious why he’s back in town.”
Thelma nodded and stared off into space like she was lost in a memory. “I remember now. Wasn’t it Greta Grayley who was madly in love with him? That poor girl barely said boo to anyone and Brian took her to the senior prom. I never saw anyone look so beautiful, but then he up and left. Just broke her heart.”
Annie set her cup down. That sounded like trouble with Kitty living next door to Greta. This party was bound to cause some sort of drama.
“How about one more clue?”
“Okay.” Annie settled in and sipped her tea.
“A six letter word and it ends in R. To kill is the clue.” Thelma waited for Annie to give her a word.
“Murder?” As soon as the word was out of her mouth, she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She hoped against hope that this crossword puzzle wasn’t trying to tell her something sinister.
“Of course! You always figure them out.” Thelma filled in the letters, folded the paper, and set it next to her chair. “I hope you have fun at the party. I used to love Halloween.” Thelma rested her head against the back of her chair and closed her eyes. The smile on her lips let Annie know she was reliving a pleasant time from her youth.
Annie motioned to Roxy to follow her out. She quietly shut the door and finished the walk back to Cobblestone Cottage.
Just as Annie opened the porch door, she heard the tail end of Brian’s words.
“—see Greta again.”
Annie closed the door loud enough so they would know she was back.
Brian whipped his head around, looking quickly at Annie then back to Jason. What were they talking about? Was Brian back because of Greta? Did Greta know he was in town?
The last place Annie wanted to be was sucked into some kind of Halloween drama between Kitty Brown, Greta Grayley, and Brian Springer. She felt a massive headache coming on.
3
Jason carried the costumes upstairs when it was time to get ready for the party at Kitty’s house.
“What were you and Brian talking about when I came back from my walk?” Annie asked as she brushed her hair.
She caught Jason rolling his eyes in the reflection of her mirror. “He wants to pop over and say hi to Greta. I tried to talk him out of it. I asked him why he wants to dredge up all that old history that hurt Greta in a big way.”
Annie continued to brush, hoping Jason would share more details beyond what Thelma told her. “What history?”
Jason sank onto the bed. “He took her to the senior prom on a dare. Greta never had a date before that night and when she found out what happened and that a lot of kids were laughing at her behind her back, she was devastated.” His head hung down and his hands were clasped between his knees. “It ended my close friendship with Brian.”
“But he’s waiting for us downstairs.”
“Geez, Annie. That was all twenty years ago. I was excited when Brian called me this morning and I didn’t have the heart to say no to going to the party even though I know you don’t really want to go. But I didn’t know visiting Greta was on his to-do list while he was back in town. Until tonight, he only told me we were going to get together with Kitty at her party, which sounded like a fun way to reconnect.”
They both turned when a loud rap sounded on the bedroom door. “Hurry up, you two lovebirds. I told Kitty we’d come a little early so we could chat before the crowd arrives.”
It was Annie’s turn for a big eye roll.
Jason walked over and wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Thanks for putting up with this. I know you’d probably rather be doing anything other than going to a Halloween party tonight. We can try to leave early.”
Annie turned around to face Jason and snuggled against his chest. “No. I’m really looking forward to a fun-filled evening with people dressed up as ghosts, goblins, and witches. What am I supposed to wear?”
Jason kissed the top of her head. “That’s the biggest pile of sarcasm I’ve heard come out of your mouth in a long time, but thanks for the effort. By the way, how did Leona take it when you told her she screwed up the recipe?”
“She blamed it on someone rearranging her baking supplies.” Annie shrugged. “She’s in such denial about needing glasses, we’re in for a lot more problems. I don’t know what the big deal is.”
“A sign of getting older. Just be patient. She’ll come around.” Jason turned Annie around. “Close your eyes and I’ll get your costume. You’re gonna love it.”
Like a root canal, Annie said to herself. Parties, costumes, crowds—not her cup of tea, but she kept her back to him with her eyes closed, and waited.
She heard the rustling sound of plastic slipping over fabric behind her. “Okay. You can look now.”
What met her eyes when she turned around made them pop wide open. She squeezed them tight with the hope that when she opened them again, there would be something different in front of her. Nope. The same black skin-tight costume covered with a skeleton of white bones from the narrow ankles to the shoulder bones, hung from the hanger. A red heart practically throbbed off the chest of the outfit. Really? Since when did skeletons have a heart, she wondered? And the worst part? A red and black tutu of some kind of mesh fabric was attached at the waist. Annie shook her head and tried to dislodge the image.
“Oh.” Jason picked up another part of the costume. “Here’s a walking stick to go with it.”
“I . . . um, don’t know what to say,” Annie stuttered. She didn’t know whether she was going to laugh or cry at this turn of events that made her evening seem so much worse than she originally imagined.
“About the glittery walking stick?”
“Everything,” Annie replied.
“There’s more.” Jason pulled another skeleton costume in front of the first one, minus the tutu attachment. “Brian thinks we’ll make a great Mr. and Mrs. Bones.”
Annie stared at the male mate to her costume. “Are you serious?”
“Unfortunately, I am. Do you think you could stomach being seen in it for a few hours?” Jason had such a pathetic pleading in his voice there was no way Annie could say no.
“I’m not wearing that red and black tutu thingy, though. The costume with bones is enough. Take off the tutu and we have a deal. Plus, I’m adding my black blazer so I don’t feel completely exposed.” She put her hands on her hips. “Not negotiable.”
Jason laughed. “You look so cute when you’re mad, Annie. And,” he winked at her, “you will look amazing as Mrs. Bones.”
Annie slid the costume off the hangar and tugged the one-piece, skin-tight outfit up over her legs, stuffing her arms into the sleeves. It was surprisingly comfortable, yet the clingy fabric revealed too many of her curves. However, with her blazer to give a bit of extra cover, she could manage to grin and bear it. With the red shimmery pointed walking stick in her right hand, she leaned against it and cocked her head. “What do you think, Mr. Bones?”
Jason, wearing his skeleton costume turned around and faced Annie. He smiled. “Delectable. Good thing you have that walking stick, it can double as a weapon to beat off all the other creatures at the party that try to take advantage of you.” He took the walking stick out of her hand. “Check this out. You can use it on hard surfaces when you’re inside.” He pulled the rubber cap off the bottom to reveal a sharp point. “Or use the point when you’re outside on grass.”
“Handy, I guess.” Annie pushed the rubber cap back on the bottom.
Jason held his arm out. “Ready to descend?” he asked in his most pretentious voice.
“Descend to where—middle earth or some other make believe horrible place?” Annie took Jason’s arm.
“Well, first we will descend to our rather normal, yet elegant, living room. Brian is most likely waiting impatiently for us. Then, we will continue to Kitty’s lair to find out what awaits us for the night.”
“What is Brian wearing to the party?” Annie asked. “He probably saved the classy outfit for himself.” She tugged her blazer closed over the skin-tight costume in an attempt to cover up, at least, from her shoulders to her hips.
“He didn’t reveal his costume, but I have a sneaky suspicion that it will have some significance to our past.” Jason led the way to the stairs and they descended together with Annie’s walking stick tapping their progress on each step.
Roxy barked.
The cats fled.
When they reached the living room, Brian stood at the fireplace with his back to them. Hearing their footsteps he turned around and laughed. “Now, that’s a sight. You two make a great Mr. and Mrs. Bones. But that jacket is covering up too much, Annie.”
“It’s cold out.” She refused to let him bully her into leaving the blazer home. “You’re wearing a jacket.”
“It’s part of my costume. Recognize it, Jason?” Brian stood straight with his arms out to the sides and a big can-you-believe-this-great-idea grin splashed across his face.
Annie looked at Jason. His eyes stared at Brian but his face was a mask. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
Annie looked back at Brian. “You have a tuxedo on. What’s that supposed to be?” She couldn’t take her eyes off the light blue jacket that complemented Brian’s eyes.
Brian spun around, holding a white hat out to the side. “My prom outfit.”
“Did you convince Greta to go to the party as your date?” Jason’s voice was incredulous.
“Unfortunately, no. She refused and hung up on me, so Kitty agreed to fill in.”
“You actually contacted Greta?” Jason’s voice rose several decibels.
“Yeah, why not? I always thought she was hot and it would be fun to see her again.”
This guy had no clue, Annie told herself. Break someone’s heart and come back to stomp on it again twenty years later? What a jerk. “I hope you got the message that Greta doesn’t want to see you.”
Brian flicked his wrist dismissively. “She’s only playing hard to get. I’ll pop over and say hi. What’s wrong with that?”
Everything? Annie bit her tongue, though, deciding to let Jason handle this mess. Brian was his friend, after all. Her gut told her he wouldn’t listen to anything she had to say, anyway. He was one of those men who expected to get his way and, of course, in his mind, he was always right.
“I’ll come with you, then,” Jason suggested.
Brian laughed. “You don’t trust me alone with the Ice Princess, Ms. Greta Grayley? Are you afraid that she might try for revenge or something?”
“Let’s just leave it at or something,” Jason mumbled.
Brian reached out and grabbed Jason’s arm. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He flung his hat onto the couch and crossed his arms over his chest. “Let’s get this all out in the open since our friendship was never the same after our senior prom. What do you think happened?”
Jason matched Brian’s stance, his legs about a foot and a half apart and his arms crossed over his chest. “You and Kitty set Greta up. She had a crush on you, Brian. You only took her to the prom because Kitty dared you and when Greta found out, it just about destroyed her. You left town, so what do you know about Greta Grayley now? My advice is to leave her be.”
“That’s
ridiculous. Greta’s a big girl and can make up her own mind whether she wants to put that all behind us.” He relaxed his shoulders. “Besides, I think it’s about time I apologize for my youthful behavior. Shall we head to Kitty’s house now?”
His question basically said the conversation about Greta Grayley was over. Brian would do exactly what he wanted, regardless of anyone’s advice. Annie decided that Brian’s good looks, flashy car, and dazzling smile were all he thought he needed to get whatever he wanted.
Annie took one last look at the fireplace and the couch, wishing she could use her headache as an excuse to stay in the comfort of her home but she didn’t want to abandon Jason to what looked to be an awkward situation at best.
Or a disaster at worst.
4
Kitty’s Victorian was painted blue with peach trim. Candles flickered in a variety of carved pumpkins that lined the brick walk to the front door. At least whoever carved the pumpkins gave them all smiling faces.
Brian didn’t bother to knock but, instead, opened the door and ushered Annie and Jason inside. “Kitty?” he called from the foyer.
“Back here, in the kitchen, Brian. Follow the spider webs.”
Annie headed for Kitty’s voice, past the stairs leading to the second floor, glancing into the cozy living room with a fire crackling. Kitty had set up a narrow table against the wall covered with food and hung orange pumpkin lights below the mantel and around each window. Several big cats rested comfortably on the various chairs around the room. Annie wondered if they’d stick around once the party got into high gear.
“Don’t dawdle, Annie. I’m sure Kitty has drinks waiting for us.” Brian put his hand on her back and kept her moving past the living room toward a big open kitchen with a dining room off to the side.
Pots bubbled on the stove, trays of food lined the counters, and tantalizing aromas sent Annie’s salivary glands into overproduction.
Kitty, with an orange apron covered with witches on broomsticks over her gown, greeted her friends. Then she waved a wooden spoon at Brian. “It’s about time you got here, Brian. You promised you’d come early to help. I’ve got everything just about done.” She mock threatened him with the spoon. “I should knock some manners into you but I don’t want to dirty up that tux.”