“Oh my god,” I whispered. “What did he mean by that?” The possibilities swam around in my head like goldfish caught in a whirlpool.
Did Eve actually kill Nelson and frame McDermott? He said, ‘more people’. What if that means the body count includes Midge? How many others?
“Check out the freak show,” Jade whispered.
“Says the talking goat,” Chloe replied.
“No, seriously.” Jade nodded toward the Hellions, who had completed their transformation into blood-red humanoid creatures with sharp curved horns and large bat like wings. If they truly meant to terrify the landowners, they certainly had the right look going.
OMG, was Zane one of those winged monsters? I needed to talk to him.
“I’ve got to catch up to Zane. Meet me outside,” I said.
Running out the back door, I easily leapt over the fence. Zane had returned to his motorcycle, still in his human form.
Thank God! Maybe he isn’t one of those creatures after all.
Hoping I was right, I watched him speed away into the night.
Chloe and Jade met me at the rendezvous point where we lapped up the antidote we had hidden. Chloe and I were immediately restored to our natural forms. Jade, however, remained a goat. We waited for nearly half an hour before coming to a decision. We’d have to bring her back to the shop where we could troubleshoot the antidote.
Chapter Nineteen
It was another beautiful, bright morning. And it would have been perfect if we didn’t have a goat roaming the store.
“Two days! Come on already.” Jade complained that her foolproof plan hadn’t been so foolproof after all.
“You read the same thing we did. Since you shifted twice in the same day, you’re immune to the cure. You’re just going to have to wait until it wears off,” I replied.
“Seriously. Do you have any idea how itchy I am?” She rubbed against the counter, trying to relieve the itch.
“Come with me out to the backyard. I’ll wash you with that dog shampoo I bought, and you can eat some more of those dandelions you like,” Chloe said, leading her out the back door.
I found it hard to believe it had only been two days. It seemed like a week. We’d combed through every book, every scrap of paper, and all Jade could do was wait.
I hadn’t even gotten a glimpse of Zane since that night. Every time I heard a motorcycle, I found myself scanning my surroundings in hopes it was him. I guessed I couldn’t blame him. I’d been pretty weird. And my angelic condition might have been too much for his devilish psyche. I only wished he would tell me straight up.
The Hellions’ actions on the night of the full moon had definitely caused a stir. Rumors from the countryside trickled into town, and then went viral. Giant bats, devils, aliens, gargoyles, all sorts of stories were spun. Whether the Hellions’ night of terror was successful in stopping the land sales would remain to be seen.
Dusting off the bookshelves and lost in my thoughts, I never heard the bells jingle. “Hey, Emmy.” The voice caught me by surprise. I nearly jumped out of my skin, but I somehow managed to keep my cool.
Spinning around, I tapped Zane’s chest with my feather duster. “Hi, there. I was beginning to think I scared you off.”
“Nah, I don’t scare easily. Had some things to take care of and I didn’t want to drag you into it.”
“You know…” I wanted to tell the truth, to let him know we’d been at the farm, but I held back. “If you find yourself in a tough spot, I can help you but not if you avoid me.”
“It’s complicated. My mom, the Hellions. Trust me, you really don’t want to get involved.”
“Complications are kind of my thing.”
“I’m just trying to do the right thing, even though every decision so far seems to be the wrong one.”
“I know exactly how you feel. We’re angels, and our decisions should reflect it. But, so far, we’ve been acting more like amateur witches with one foot in Hell. Doing the right thing instead of the convenient thing is a lot harder than I thought.”
“Get a towel!” Jade cried out, running back into the shop.
There was no point of even trying to lie my way out of this. “Speaking of complications.”
“Jade! You’re a goat?”
“Wow. He’s a genius, Emmy,” Jade said, dripping with sarcasm and water.
Chloe ran in right behind her and quickly led her up to our living quarters.
I really didn’t want to explain another series of mishaps to Zane. He was going to think we were all insane but what choice did I have?
“So…we experimented with the shape shifting thing in order to sneak into your mom’s barn during the Hellions’ full moon meeting. I was a horse. Chloe was a cow, and Jade—well. You get the picture. Back to what you said about me not getting involved…I kind of am involved now.”
“If we’re going to make this work—” Zane said, but I cut him off.
“Make what work? What do you mean?”
Without hesitating, he pulled me close and kissed me with the same passion as that first kiss on the porch.
“Us,” he said.
“We need to make a promise not to spy on each other. If there is something you want to know, ask me. I’ll do my best to tell you what you want to know.”
“Same here,” I whispered.
“I understand enough about why your mom and the Hellions want to stop the McDermott development from destroying so many acres of nature areas. I think it’s probably a good cause, but I just need to know about Charles Nelson. Did your mom and the Hellions have anything to do with his death?”
“To be honest, I don’t know. I’m worried they were involved though. That’s why I don’t want you mixed up in this. Asking the right questions to the wrong person can be extremely dangerous. Especially if that person is an outlaw demon. Can I pick you up this evening? We can talk about this some more.”
“Of course.” I leaned into him, wanting to feel the heat of his body next to mine.
“Six,” he said and gave me a lingering kiss goodbye.
My heart was doing somersaults after he left, and I finally felt some relief. I knew Zane cared for me, a lot. I didn’t have to hide who I was from him or the stupid stuff I’d done, like the fact that we’d turned ourselves into animals to spy on him.
Who does that? Me, apparently.
Still, I had no idea what his demon form or persona was and that did worry me. He said I should ask him whatever I wanted to know, but I’ve already learned that wanting to know the truth and actually learning it are two very different things.
“Jade! Jaaaa-aaade!” Chloe shrieked, running through the shop. “Did Jade come through here?”
“I—I don’t know. I was talking to Zane. She might have.” I shrugged.
“Well, I can’t find her. I was brushing her down and I turned my back for a minute. She ran off and I can’t find her anywhere.”
“Did she say anything?”
“Just that she wasn’t feeling good. I’m getting worried, Emmy. I have a feeling that the longer she stays in goat form, the more goat and less Jade she becomes. She’s even started interjecting little goat bleats into her sentences.”
“Oh man. That is bad,” I said.
Chloe grabbed her cellphone and punched in a number.
“Who are you—”
She held up her hand, cutting my question short.
“Yes, I have an emergency that I’d like to report. My name is Chloe, and our goat is missing from our store. Yes, a goat. She’s brown and white. Well, mostly brown. Yes, she’s a female goat. She was stolen or kidnapped. Yes, kidnapped. No, this isn’t a joke. Heavenly Treasures, it’s the gift shop and boutique right across the street from Angel Park. At your convenience? “Seriously? Just call Daryl, tell him Chloe needs him. Now, of course!” Chloe ended the call. “Jeesh! Like pulling teeth to get help in an emergency.”
“I think your idea of an emergency and their idea of an emergency are
n’t exactly the same thing.”
Five minutes later, Daryl strolled into the shop. “Everything okay here? I just got a call from county dispatch about a woman having a psychotic breakdown and something about a goat.”
“Then you would be looking for Chloe.” I motioned to the psychotic breakdown.
“Thank God, you’re here. We don’t have a minute to lose,” Chloe said, grabbing him frantically by the arm. “We’ve got to find her.”
“Hold on. Who are we looking for?”
“A goat. She’s just a missing goat. Come on,” she replied, nearly dragging him through the door.
“I’ll stay, in case she comes home!” I called out to them. I imagined them cruising the streets of Angel Bay with Chloe frantically calling for Jade over the patrol car’s loudspeaker.
“Glad I’m here. If you come up with any idea of where she ran off to, be sure to let me know,” I said to Harry. He blinked and went back to ignoring me. I’ve come to the conclusion that bearded dragons are the most blasé and apathetic creatures in the world.
But where would Jade run off to? And why? Could Chloe have been right about Jade going into a full-blown goat mindset?
Two hours later, Chloe walked through the door struggling with Jade, who was on a dog leash. “Come. On. Stubborn. Goat,” she huffed.
“Your turn,” She said, handing me the leash. “I’m beat.”
“Where’s Daryl?”
“After an hour of searching, he got a call and had to respond to a traffic accident. It was nothing major, but it apparently was more important than a runaway goat. I asked him to let me out at the edge of town. He gave me this leash and chain he uses for stray dogs. Anyway, eventually, I found Jade and dragged her obstinate ass home. She’s a total goat now, just like I worried would happen.”
“Great. Now we can’t even talk to her.”
“It’ll work out in time,” Chloe said.
“Daryl did tell me some juicy news about why he arrested Michael McDermott. Looking through Nelson’s car, they found three very threatening notes written by Michael. He was warning Charles to stay away from his sister. Daryl even found the charmed elephant and an undelivered birthday card to Susan. He showed me the elephant. I pretended I’d never seen it before. Anyway, it was enough to convince the DA that Michael found out about Charles’ continued romantic interest in his sister, even after several warnings.”
“Did he mention anything about the inheritance and the land development?” I asked.
“Sure did. It’s the prime motive, just like we suspected. The last thing Michael wanted was to have some outsider tapping the family fortune.”
“That’s putting it crudely,” I replied.
“You know what I mean,” Chloe groaned. “What a tyrant. Poor Susan.”
“It’s sad, I know. But we have to consider it could have been Eve and the Hellions behind this. What if they killed Charles and framed Michael? After what we heard at the farm, it sounds logical.”
“True. She is a witch, and they are demons after all. I wouldn’t put it past those evil devils.”
Her whole body shook, picturing the bat-winged monsters. “How would we ever know?”
“You and Daryl are hitting it off pretty well, wouldn’t you say?”
“Definitely. In fact, he asked me out today while we were in the squad car, but I was too distraught looking for Jade to give him an answer.”
“You should definitely go and while you’re out and about, I could sneak into his little office. Surely, he’ll have a file with at least a copy of the evidence they have against Michael McDermott. I’d feel better if I could take a look at it. Maybe it could help me rule out Eve and her minions, but it might not.”
“No problem. I’ll just call him and say yes. I was going to anyway.”
Chloe picked up her phone and tapped the screen.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“Hi, Rita. It’s Chloe again. Can you let Daryl know he can pick me up at six?”
“You know you can’t just call 911 to get a hold of Daryl, don’t you? This is the county emergency dispatch center and it’s for emergency calls only. I’ll give him the message this time but try to restrain yourself from calling this number in the future unless you have an emergency.”
“Maybe Daryl can restrain me in the future. Thanks, Rita.” Chloe ended the call.
“Even though we haven’t had our official first date, we’ve been talking a lot and it’s been nice. I really do like him. But now I’m so excited! It’s my first date—our first date! I do feel bad though, here the whole time I thought Rita was like Daryl’s secretary.”
“I’m sure she’ll survive.”
Now, it was time to figure out how I’d snoop around Daryl’s office while his attention was fixed on Chloe. Since Zane was going to be picking me up, perhaps the time had come to find out if he was truly interested in justice.
Chapter Twenty
“Just a second while I put some water out for Jade,” I said, placing a mixing bowl full of water in front of my friend.
Zane browsed the antique bookshelf, occasionally pulling one to examine. “No rush. I’m sure Chloe and Officer Daryl will be gone for a while. Are you sure you’re ready to become a hardcore criminal? Breaking and entering a police station is no small thing.”
His dog, Mooch, was with him and interjected an encouraging bark.
“It’s only criminal if we get caught. At least that’s what Chloe said and I’m going with it. The real question is, are you ready to investigate your mom and the Hellions’ potential involvement in a possible murder and frame up of an innocent man?”
“No matter what we find out, just remember Michael McDermott is not an innocent man. He’s a crooked lawyer and an extortionist.”
“Extortion is a far cry from murder, and if he didn’t kill Charles, we need to know. But I’m serious, you have to think of all the possibilities, Zane.”
“You care for everyone, don’t you?”
Why did that matter to him? I wondered.
“Maybe too much.” I nodded. A part of me wished I could just forget all my cares about the McDermott case, but I couldn’t.
“I think it’s your burden, a part of your angelic nature.”
“A burden. I’ve never thought of it that way.” What a peculiar way to think of it.
I could see what Zane was getting at though. Sometimes, it was almost as if my empathy was slung over my shoulder like a backpack, weighing me down.
To be fair to myself, I have no desire to collect other people’s random problems and claim them as my own, instead, I had always felt compelled to take away their fear, anger and pain—even to give them a sense of justice. Maybe Zane was right, that is the nature of an angel.
“And what do you feel for the winged demons you saw?” he asked.
I’d been lost in my thoughts for a few minutes, his question caught me off guard. “They’re different. They’re monsters. Grotesque and scary. I had to turn my eyes away from them. I didn’t feel empathetic, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“So, you think you can’t find beauty in a monster? Or feel sad for them?” he asked.
“Not really. It’s why they’re monsters? They are evil, ugly creatures. It’s what defines them, right?”
“Not always. Take the story of Medusa. There are many different origin stories about her, but they all have something in common. She was extraordinarily beautiful. It was the evil act of a good or enlightened being which turned her into a monster. Through no fault of her own, she was a helpless victim, an outcast, a beautiful monster exiled from society. Are you sure you can’t find beauty or empathy for a monster?”
“Now you’re making me feel bad for her. Are you saying I should try to find good qualities in demons from Hell? Or are we talking about someone else? Like you? How do I know you don’t shift into some bat out of Hell during a certain phase of the moon?” I sounded like I was joking around, but I was quite serious.
I needed to know.
Zane shrugged and revealed a coy smile. “Who knows? But I might not be the kind of monster you imagine.” Wrapping his arms around me, his playful mood continued.
“Maybe I’m more like Uriah Heep from Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, using my malicious ‘umbleness’ in playing the role of devil’s advocate to my advantage. After all, my mother is a powerful woman, and her demons are a formidable force. With both you and them on my team, I would be someone to be reckoned with.”
“Maybe. But I like to think you are more empathetic than you let on, Zane. I sense the goodness in you. I hope you aren’t as conniving as some of those other demons. Don’t make me regret trusting you.”
“How much you trust me is strictly your call. Now, let’s go and make a felon out of you.”
“It’s still daylight out,” I said. “We should wait until later when it’s dark. There’s less of a chance we’ll be caught breaking into the police station.”
“Now you’re thinking more and more like a hardened criminal. You just might be a bad influence on me,” he said, taking my hand into his as we walked along the beach.
It was yet another beautiful evening.
I gasped with feigned indignation. “A bad influence on him, says the demon to the angel.”
“Partial demon.”
“Partial angel,” I quickly countered him.
“Speaking of ourselves, what exactly is a partial demon? Do you get like only one bat wing? Or two half developed ones?” I asked, surprising even myself. Apparently, my subconscious figured the time was right to finally throw that question right at him. And worse, I probably came off as insulting. I mean, half bat wings.
But he seemed to understand that I was genuinely interested in his full nature and other than smoldering hot biker, he also came in frightening demon form.
“Actually, this is why I wanted to talk to you tonight. You probably think I’m like one of the Hellions. I’m not. I don’t know how it is with angels, but demons are found in many forms. There is a hierarchy to them. Ones like you saw the other night, Hellions, they are some of the most common and the lowest in rank. Probably why they fit an ancient stereotype.”
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