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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“You’re home!” Astra said, smiling. Then, she stopped. She set down her e-reader and slowly stood. “What happened? I can tell something happened.”

“I had an accident,” I said, dropping my purse and tote bag on the sofa.

“Oh my gods! Are you all right? Are you hurt?” She suddenly reverted to when I was a child, grabbing me to look me over.

I rested my hand on her shoulder. “It’s all right. I’m fine. The medics checked me out. Can you make me some coffee? And I could use some lunch. I’m shaky, but I’ll be fine. And Brenda’s fine, for the most part. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the other driver, or my car. He’s dead, and my car is totaled.”

Astra paused. “Of course. Come in the kitchen, Maisy. How about sandwiches and soup?”

I nodded. “Chicken noodle?”

When I was a little girl, chicken noodle soup had been one of my biggest comfort foods. The kind from the packet, with the freeze dried chicken and the tiny little noodles. And there had been this little soft gel egg in it, which contained the flavoring.

“I still have some of your favorite, so yes. I always keep it around. The stuff lasts forever on the shelf. What kind of sandwich do you want? Tomato?”

I nodded. Again, when I was little, I had read Harriet the S py, and ever since then, I’d been a fan of tomato sandwiches: white bread, butter, a little lettuce, and thick sliced tomatoes. Astra had a greenhouse outback so she always had fresh tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, and herbs.

I slid into the booth. “You know, a table might be nice here, after all. I’m feeling a little claustrophobic right now.”

“So, tell me what happened.” Astra brought out the sandwich ingredients, then a box of the soup mix. She measured water into a pan and then added two packs of soup. I liked the soup a little more concentrated than the recipe called for, so she always used half a cup of water less.

I told her about going over to Brenda’s, and the entity that I sensed. “We decided to go out for coffee to talk it over—” My phone sounded and I glanced at it. “Hold on. Brenda’s texting me now.”

hey maisy. i just arrived home. i’m fine—there was no internal bleeding. honestly, i’m so on edge that i’m going to stay in a hotel tonight. i don’t want to deal with whatever energy is hanging out here. can we meet tomorrow? i can take a taxi or something.

why don’t you come over to my house at noon? i just got home, myself. i checked out fine, as well, though i doubt my car can say the same.

i’ll see you tomorrow, then. i’ll text you where i’m staying tonight. i’m packing a quick little bag. oh, i didn’t tell you—i met a guy at the hospital. i think i really like him. i’ll tell you about him tomorrow and see what you think.

I set my phone down. “Okay, she’s fine.” I continued with my story.

Astra placed my sandwich in front of me. “Do you think that the accident was caused by whatever it is that’s creeping around her house?”

I froze, then slowly turned to her. “Why would…” My first impulse was to say no, but then I leaned my elbows on the table and thought about it. “I don’t know,” I said. “I’m not sure why it would…”

“What do you think it is—the entity in her house?” Astra ladled out our soup.

Again, I was about to say I didn’t know, but something kept dinging at the alarm in the back of my mind. “I think it might be her late husband. He was possessive, abusive…”

“And he didn’t want her, but he didn’t want anybody else to have her, either. Am I right?” Astra sat down with her soup and sandwich—she’d added turkey slices to hers. As soon as she was settled, she stood again. “I forgot the coffee. Latte?”

I shook my head. “Hot mocha, please.”

“Three shots?”

I nodded, still processing what she’d said. It felt right. The reasoning was right there. He was probably a Haunt, a ghost who didn’t want to move on because he was so angry at the living.

“You know, that sounds plausible. In fact, it sounds right.”

“Sit with your feelings for a while, and see how it settles.” She returned to the table, two large latte mugs of hot mocha in hand. “Let the subject rest while you eat lunch so your subconscious can process the thoughts.”

I nodded. It was a technique I used over and over. My subconscious worked on its own—it processed information and then later, when I least expected it, spit out the answer or the idea I was seeking.

“On to other things, then,” I said. “Stuart brought me home.”

Astra swallowed the bite of her sandwich. “Stuart Waterline? The sheriff? Your high-school boyfriend?”

I nodded. “I met him in the supermarket the other day, and then today, he showed up at the crash site.” Frowning, I added, “He has a girlfriend. I gather he was engaged, but his fiancée died.”

“Then you both have lost someone you loved,” Astra said, stirring her soup with her spoon.

“Right,” I said. “I’m not going to date him again, you know. He’s dating someone. And I’m not ready to date.”

“You’ve been saying that for quite a while. Don’t you think you should start considering taking the next step? I know you’re still grieving, but you will be mourning him most of your life. I can tell you that right now. You’ll never forget Dan, and dating isn’t cheating on his memory. He would want you to be happy, to not get stuck in your grief, correct?” Astra finished her sandwich. “More soup?”

I nodded, pushing my bowl toward her. “Thanks, yes. As far as Dan…” I tried to protest. I’d been protesting so long that it had become my go-to response.

“Think before you answer, Maisy. Grief takes as long as it takes, but you can be in two places at once. You can start dating again, and you can still be mourning Dan’s loss. They aren’t mutually exclusive.” Astra leaned back in her chair and glanced out the window. “We’re getting the winter snowstorm they projected.”

“Yeah, we are.” I let out a long sigh. “I guess you’re right. I haven’t even let myself consider dating. Every time the thought has risen, I’ve squashed it down before I could even consider it. It feels so traitorous.”

“Think of it this way,” Astra said. “When you came to live with us, after your mother and father died, did you love us?”

“Of course I did,” I said, trying to follow her logic. “I didn’t stop loving you because you weren’t my parents.”

“Right. You were mourning them, but you loved us. The two feelings aren’t mutually exclusive. You can love more than one person at a time.” She looked at me, and I could feel the care and concern shining through her eyes. Aunt Astra was my rock. I’d loved my aunt Sara, but Astra—she’d always been the rock.

“When I think about it that way, I see you’re right. I loved you and Sara as much as I loved my parents. Maybe in a different way, but that difference doesn’t matter.” I closed my eyes, trying to imagine what it would be like to open myself up to another relationship. I missed sex, yes, but the thought of sleeping with a guy didn’t bother me. It was the emotional aspect that scared me—that felt like cheating. And maybe… Maybe it didn’t have to be that way.

“I think I’m scared,” I finally said. “It was hard enough losing my parents, and then losing Dan. I don’t know if I could do it a third time.”

“I thought so,” Astra said. “That’s enough work for today. Finish your lunch and then, if you wouldn’t mind, the front walk could use shoveling. And while I’m healthy enough…”

“Shoveling snow is hard work. I can do it, no problem.” I finished my soup and the last of my sandwich, and then—giving Astra a kiss on the cheek—I headed for the front door to shovel the walkway.

By five, I was done and sweaty. I was about to take a quick shower when Crystal called. “The soiree’s still on. Do you want to go?”

In all the excitement, I’d forgotten to let her know what happened.

“I had a little accident this morning. I’m without a car, for now,” I said. “In fact, I was wondering if you could take me car shopping tomorrow? Maybe early, if possible, since I have a lunch appointment with Brenda.”

Crystal hesitated for a moment. “Accident? What kind of accident? What happened?”

I told her everything, including my discussion about relationships with my aunt. “I’ve got so much going on in my head that I don’t know what to think.”

“Good grief, that’s a lot for one day.” She paused, then added, “I’m free tomorrow morning. I can swing by at around nine? We’ll find you a new car.”

“Nine it is,” I said. “You don’t know what this means to me, lady.”

“I do, I think. As far as dating…well…we can start tonight at the club. I’ll pick you up. I have chains on my car, so don’t worry about accidents. The meeting isn’t far away from your house. And maybe, you can meet a star witch for Brenda. So, how about it?”

I nodded. “I’m nodding,” I said.

“I’ll be there in an hour. Get dolled up, though I’d skip the heels and opt for boots,” Crystal said.

As I hung up, I thanked my lucky stars for such a good friend. Crystal and I had never wavered in our friendship. There had been a number of years where we didn’t see each other as much as we wanted, but each time, we fell right back in our comfortable pattern. And each time, it had further cemented our bond.

I took a quick shower, then dressed carefully. I decided on a pair of cobalt leggings with silver snowflakes on them, a pale blue tank dress that almost reached my knees, a dark gray long sweater, and then added a beaded lapis lazuli necklace and silver hoop earrings. I brushed my hair back and slid on a headband that matched my leggings, then re-did my makeup.

As I stood back, eying myself in the mirror, for the first time in several years, I realized that I cared what people might think when they looked at me.

The snow had let up—at least for a while—by the time we reached the Community Center, it was almost seven-fifteen. We were late, but then again, mixers like these didn’t have firm start times. We’d stopped to buy a box of brownies at Sassy’s Espresso Stand. A drive-thru owned by Sassy Longhopper, a rabbit shifter, the shop sold the best vegan brownies in town. Most rabbit shifters were vegetarians, and while I didn’t fancy a lot of vegan options, the brownies were incredible. I was convinced she used magic in baking them.

I wanted coffee, but I’d had enough adrenaline for the day, given the accident.

“So, how bad is your car?”

“Bad enough that I need to buy a new one.” I rolled my eyes. “I’ll be waiting on two insurance checks, now. At least neither situation was my fault, but I’m scared my insurance company will drop me.”

“Yeah, they have a tendency to do that,” Crystal said. “I’ll be happy to take you out tomorrow morning. What do you want?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I need a good SUV with traction. I want a tank, though I don’t want it to be huge.”

“Well, I read Car Reports from last month—the safest SUV on the market is a new brand. It’s the Evergreen Vega. It was rated with one of the highest safety levels ever given to an SUV. It’s pricey, but it’s worth it.” Crystal zipped up her jacket before getting out of the car. “They were right when they said that we were going to get slammed with snow.”

“Will it be safe to drive home?” I was feeling leery, given what had happened.

“Yeah, I had snow tires and chains put on a couple days ago.” Crystal picked up the bag of brownies. “Let’s go.”

I pulled my jacket tighter and shivered as a blast of cold air hit me. “I hope this is worth it.”

“Hey, we’re getting out for the night, and after the day you had, I think you need a little fun.” Crystal winked at me, then sighed. “Let’s try to forget about everything for an hour or so.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said, opening the door to the Midnight Point Community Center.

The place was hopping, even on a snowbound night. At least, hopping for how small the town was. Thirty-five hundred people meant that a crowd was anything over thirty. And there had to be at least forty people at the event. The Midnight Hour Social Club wasn’t just for singles, though. And it didn’t give off country club vibes, or I wouldn’t have entered the doors.

I looked around. I’d been back in Midnight Point for two months now, but I still hadn’t caught up with most of the people I remembered. I caught sight of several people I thought I might remember, but the fact was, those days were long past and Crystal and my aunt were the only ones I’d kept in touch with.

“Okay, you need to be my wing woman, friendship-wise. Is there anybody here I should know?” I whispered.

Crystal laughed. “A couple, but though I’ve seen several of these faces around town, and in my shop, for the most part? I don’t know anybody. Except…” She motioned for me to follow her and headed over to a woman who was sitting at one of the tables near the wall, plate of cookies and a cup of fruit punch in front of her.

“Hey, Bealissa, how are you?”

The woman glanced up. The name Bealissa conjured up images of a fantasy princess, but this woman was wearing what looked like velour track suit, and her hair was pulled back in a long, curling blonde ponytail. She was in that indeterminate age range where she could be anywhere from thirty to fifty, and I sensed some sort of magical energy around her. When she saw Crystal, she broke out in a broad smile.

“Thank gods. I was thinking about heading out. I don’t know anybody here, and apparently I underdressed for the evening.” Her voice had an odd lilt to it, so that it sounded almost like she was singing.

“No worries,” Crystal said. “Nobody’s going to care. Do you mind if we sit down?”

Bealissa motioned to the chairs. “Be my guest.”

“Thanks,” I said, sliding into the chair closest to the wall. “I’m Maisy, by the way.”

“Maisy’s my BFF. We go back all the way to the academy,” Crystal said to Bealissa. “Maisy just moved back to town.” She then turned to me. “Bealissa runs the Pumpkin Patch, a general store on the outskirts of town. She also hosts the farmer’s market there every Saturday and Sunday, from March through December.”

“Call me Bee,” Bealissa said. “And yes, I own the Pumpkin Patch. I also run an autumn fair there, every year.”

I filed away the information. “I love the name,” I said. “Both yours, and your store’s. The Pumpkin Patch conjures up visions of old country stores where they sell fresh eggs and honey.”

“I do,” Bee said. “All the produce and pastries in my shop are sourced from the surrounding area—from the berry fields over in Whatcom County, to the beehives in Whisper Hollow, to the herbs grown by Hedda, who owns the Herbal Apothecary right here in Midnight Point. I have a few items in my store that I outsource, but I like to keep it local, to support the smaller farmers and artists.”

Crystal pointed at the refreshment table. “Maisy and I will grab something to eat and set out the brownies we brought, then we’ll be right back.”

“Are those brownies from Sassy’s Espresso Stand? Can I have one before you put them out for the vultures to feed?” Bee asked.

Crystal opened the box and offered her one, then she and I strolled over to the refreshments table. A few couples were dancing, but most were standing around chatting.

“This is about as exciting as it was when we were teens,” I said, lowering my voice.

“Yeah, but hey, it’s a night out,” Crystal said. She set the brownies on the table and we picked up paper plates.

I made sure to grab a brownie before we moved on to the sliced fruit and cheese trays. Chips and dip, arancini, crackers, sliced deli meats and breads, and condiments made up the majority of the food, along with several desserts. For drinks, we had a choice between the fruit punch and sparkling water. The club never did have much of a budget for food.

As I filled my plate, a tall man with dark skin and topaz eyes wandered over. He had a glowering look, but his energy seemed almost gentle. His pupils were slits, like a cat’s.

“How do you do? I don’t think I’ve seen either of you here,” he said.

I smiled. His energy was anything but slimy, and I felt a mood boost standing near him. “I’m Maisy Tripwater. I just moved back to town after being gone for a long time.”

“I’m Crystal Jagger, and I run the Mocha Express, downtown on Clearwater Street. Maisy opened up a shop next to me.” Crystal extended her hand and he shook it.

“Well, that’s exciting,” he said. “I’m Niren Wallace. I’m a doctor—general practice,” he said. “My twin brother works over in Whisper Hollow. He’s a doctor, as well.”

Right then, I knew he was a snake-shifter. A number of them entered the medical fields.

“Really? I’m on the lookout for a new doctor since I moved back to town,” I said. “Do you have a card?”

“Of course.” Niren handed me a card and I dropped it in my purse.

“Thank you. We’d better get back to our friend,” Crystal said. She poured herself a glass of sparkling water and I did the same. We said goodbye to the hot, handsome doctor and headed back to the table.

“He’s yummy looking,” she whispered as we moved out of earshot.

“Yes, but he’s not the star witch I’m looking for,” I said, grinning. Before we approached the table again, I asked, “What’s Bee’s story? Is she a shifter?”

“No, actually. She’s a dryad.”

I blinked. “She’s Fae ? What’s she doing here? I didn’t think the Fae mingled with humans…or shifters…or witches.”

“They don’t all that often, but Bealissa is the liaison between the Fae and the city government. She’s on the city council, and helps keep the peace by stopping developers who are threatening to develop over sacred areas. She actually holds a powerful place in Midnight Point, and it’s good to have her on your side. She’s agreed to set aside the issues with thanking the Fae, for the opportunity to keep the wild places in Midnight Point.”

I nodded as we returned to the table.

The Fae were tricky and dangerous to deal with, and they controlled natural forces that even earth witches didn’t know about. But it occurred to me that my aunt might like to meet her, if she hadn’t already, to ask for some tips on her gardens.

As we ate, watching the crowd, I turned to Bee. “Do you mind if I ask you something?”

She furrowed her brow, then said, “Go ahead.”

“Do you ever do consultations on gardens? My aunt is an earth witch and she’s always looking for ways to strengthen her garden. I think the soil in the yard is deficient, but she’s tried everything, and she still has problems growing some of her favorite flowers and vegetables.”

Bee tilted her head, and then I caught the look behind the glamour. I saw the odd tilt to her eyes, the features so chiseled that you could cut diamonds on them. She was mesmerizingly beautiful to a dangerous degree.

“I’ll be happy to come over and take a look. I’m always there for someone trying to improve the soil make their plants happy. Here, let me give you my number.”

We exchanged numbers, and I was about ready to suggest that Crystal and I leave—nothing much was going on—when the door slammed open and an older woman wandered in. She was carrying a crystal ball with her, cradled in her arm, and she glanced around the room. Her pupils were white and glazed over, but I still had the feeling that she could see everything. Everyone fell silent, moving back.

“Holy crap,” Crystal said. “We need to get out of here.”

“Who’s that?” I asked.

“Don’t you remember? Skula? The Wandering Eye ?” Crystal dragged me out of my chair, but before we could skirt around to the exit, the woman turned toward us.

I suddenly remembered. Skula, a blind oracle, was a spirit in the town. She appeared before important events—usually of dire nature—and she would pick one person to focus on and give her reading. She was never seen other than when something bad was going to happen, and people she delivered her prophecies to had a way of either getting hurt, or disappearing for good.

She focused in on me, and I could feel the energy swirling around her, caught into a vortex. It was like facing a living tornado. If she was even living . Nobody knew what she was.

I stumbled back against the wall, my heart racing.

“What do you…” My voice drifted off. She wasn’t acknowledging me, just cornering me.

“The gateway will open again. Chaos is dancing, and once it finds you, there’s no escape.” Her voice echoed the sound of corn husks in a fallow field, with the wind whistling through the dry stalks. Her words filled the room, echoing from wall to wall. And I was at the center of the bullseye.

“What do you mean—” I started to say, but before I could finish my sentence, she turned and vanished, leaving a trail of mist behind her.

She was gone, and I felt like I’d just been cursed.