Page 61 of Ghosts, Ghouls, and Growls

Fish, who has been suspiciously well-behaved all evening, chooses this moment to weave between our ankles.

If we’re done with the hooman emotional display, perhaps someone could direct me to the leftover corn dogs? They’re not going to eat themselves, you know. I’m willing to volunteer for the job.

“Yes, Fish, we’ll get you something to eat.” I sigh with a laugh.

Elizabeth’s eyes grow wide. “You can hear her, too?”

I freeze, staring at her in shock. “You can read minds?”

Elizabeth covers her mouth, looking just as startled. “Can you?”

“Yes,” I whisper, glancing around to make sure no one is listening. “But not everyone knows. And you?”

Her eyes fill with tears. “I thought I was broken.”

“I guess we’re broken together,” I say, and we share a laugh that feels like the beginning of a lifetime of inside jokes.

“And don’t animals have much better things to say than humans?” I add teasingly.

“They sure do!” Elizabeth inches back slightly. “But thank goodness we can’t listen in on the human mind, too.”

My jaw drops. “You can only hear animals?”

“You can hear humans, too?” She gasps, looking both horrified and impressed. “Oh my goodness, that must be?—”

“Be glad you can’t,” I assure her. We laugh again, the sound mingling with the last notes of “Monster Mash” drifting from the festival speakers.

“What are your plans now?” I ask as we begin walking back toward the inn, Fish and Sherlock leading the way.

“I do like my job at the bookshop,” she says thoughtfully. “But my landlord informed me this morning that she’s decided on a no-pets policy, so I don’t know what to do about my living situation.”

“I’ll rent you a cottage right here at the inn,” I offer immediately. “You can have all the pets you want. Under one condition.”

“What’s that?” Her eyes light up with hope.

“You have to spend far more time with your new family than you ever thought possible,” I say, linking my arm through hers. “Fairwarning: it includes more accidental corpse discoveries than the average family reunion.”

“I think I can handle that.” She laughs, squeezing my arm. “After all, what’s a few bodies between sisters?”

We share a quick laugh and it sounds more like a cackle.

“And Bizzy?” She inches back a notch. “You can call me Buffy. The nickname is growing on me.”

“As long as you call me Bizzy,” I tease. “You’ve got a deal.”

As the Halloween moon beams down on us, I realize that family—like a good mystery—is full of unexpected twists, hidden clues, and, sometimes, the most perfect resolutions you never saw coming.

That’s the thing about life in Spider Cove. Just when you think the case is closed, another chapter is waiting to begin.

I head over to Jasper and he welcomes me with a warm embrace. His arms tighten around me as if to say we’ve weathered another storm together, solved another mystery that life has thrown our way. With my newfound sister nearby, my pets conspiring at my feet, and the Halloween night wrapping around us like a protective cloak, I know that whatever mysteries tomorrow brings, we’ll face them together—one body, one family secret, and one pumpkin spice latte at a time.

This was just another typical Halloween night in the Baker family. We came for the candy, stayed for the murder mystery, and somehow managed to collect a new sister along the way.

At this rate, Christmas is going to be absolutely terrifying.