I wish I could bring him to the store with me. But since I can’t, this helps make up for him being at home.”
Dogs are sensitive to the supernatural. I had tried to bring Baxter with me on several occasions, but every time, he’d find the Spookies and decide it was his job to guard them and growl at them all day. Then again, it was the same reason I hadn’t been able to stay in the apartment on the second floor that we now used as storage. Even though I wasn’t handling the objects, just being close to them all the time had really set my nerves on edge.
Maggie chuckled. “You really ought to try him out in doggie daycare again.”
I sighed. “I know. But the last time, he kept stealing the big dogs’ toys.”
“Baxter likes to be king of the hill,” Maggie replied. “But he’s such a love. And he really does like the other dogs.”
“Yeah, I’ll have to try again. I just feel like the parent of ‘that’ child, the one that throws blocks or something.” I flipped the sign on the door to ‘open’.
The morning was slow. Customers didn’t wander in until closer to lunch. I could tell from the way Teag acted that he was mulling over what Anthony had said about the stairway disappearances. Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out to see a call from Father Anne.
“Cassidy! Wonderful to hear from you!” Father Anne is definitely not what most people think of when they picture an Episcopalian priest. She’s in her thirties with a short, edgy haircut and a custom-designed tattoo of the three patron saints of the St. Expeditus Society on her arm. I’ve seen her wear a clerical collar with a black t-shirt, and she’s partial to Doc Martens boots when we’ve got some ghost-whuppin’ to do.
“Great to hear from you, too,” I replied. “You got my message?”
“Suitably cryptic,” she replied with a chuckle. “You gonna tell me what’s really going on?”
“In a nutshell: Civil War ghost trapped in a piece of Victorian death jewelry being menaced by bullies from beyond. I wanted to see if you can help send him on his way.”
“Ooh, that sounds like fun,” Father Anne replied. “I’ve been tied up in vestry meetings, and I’m so ready for a change that I’d say yes if you wanted to do a girl’s night out two-for-one root canal.”
Yikes. “Hopefully, it won’t be exciting at all. Can I count you in?”
Father Anne laughed. “Absolutely. Tomorrow? Then we can go set this poor ghost on his way.”
“It’s on the calendar.” We got the place and time straightened out, and I put the phone back in my pocket. “Looks like we can at least get Thaddeus squared away,” I said. “And with luck, whatever came after him, won’t come after us.” Yeah, right.
BY NOON, I had already decided to do some digging for information on my own. “Why don’t I pick up lunch and bring it back?” I suggested. “How about take-out from Forbidden City?” We all liked Chinese food, and offering to go grab lunches from our favorite place guaranteed no one would mind me stepping out for a while, even if we did get busy.
Teag raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to go see Mrs. Teller, aren’t you?”
I grinned. “Busted. Of course. Who else might know something useful about restless ghosts?”
“Just don’t let the food get cold,” he added with a grin. “How about you see Mrs. Teller on the way over, then bring lunch back while it’s still hot?”
“Geez,” I said with an exaggerated eye roll. “You mess up one time and no one lets you forget it.”
Teag and Maggie gave me their orders. “And don’t forget the egg roll!” Maggie added with a grin.
“Got it!” I replied, heading for the door. “I won’t be long.”
I stepped out of Trifles and Folly’s air conditioning into the warmth of fall in Charleston. The sun was bright, the sky was clear and my mood began to lift despite the sweat that was beading my forehead.
The thought of restless ghosts and ghost-eating monsters had kept me awake last night. I’m still fairly new to running Trifles and Folly and working with the Alliance, so I haven’t gotten used to knowing about all kinds of terrifying supernatural threats that normal people are lucky enough not to believe even exist. I accept the responsibility that comes with my magic and inheriting the shop, but sometimes, I really think