Wicked Wings (Lizzie Grace #5) - Keri Arthur Page 0,19

ranger I’d call a friend. We caught up on a fairly regular basis—sometimes for dinner, sometimes for a movie, and sometimes simply for a coffee and a chat. I suspected part of the reason for her ease with me was the fact that she’d only recently married into the Marin pack, and therefore didn’t have the same level of distrust when it came to witches that the reservation’s three packs initially had.

“How’s that hubby of yours doing?” I said as I followed her through the scrub.

She flashed a grin over her shoulder. “He opens his café next week, so he’s something of a stress head at the moment.”

A statement I could totally understand, given we’d gone through the exact same thing the first time we’d ever set up our own place. But then, we’d also been a whole lot younger and had had little in the way of training other than the few years we’d worked as kitchen hands and short-order cooks in various venues. At least Levi was a barista who’d worked at some of the top cafés in Melbourne before moving back to Castle Rock.

“Tell him it does get better. Eventually.”

“I hope so, because I’m getting very little action at the moment, and that’s a sad state of affairs when we’ve only been married a few months.”

I laughed. “I’m sure things will improve once the café is open and running smoothly.”

“I damn well hope so.” She skirted a large pile of rubble and then continued on. “Have you any idea who or what was behind the deaths last night?”

“I’m afraid it takes a little longer than that to track down these things.”

Her grin flashed again. “Maybe I’m just used to you having all the answers.”

I snorted. “And maybe you’re just forgetting how often I don’t.” I paused. “Have there been any recent missing person reports that match the suspected age of the bones?”

“No recent ones, but Maggie’s going through the records to see what she can find.”

“What about juvenile disappearances? Have there been any that resulted in the mother’s suicide?”

She swung around. “That’s a very specific question—did your psychic mojo show you something we need to know about?”

I hesitated. “I saw a ghost in my dreams last night, and she was carrying the body of her child.”

“And you think it’s connected to the current case?”

“Honestly? I have no idea—but the body was whole rather than stripped of flesh, so there’s the chance it isn’t.”

“Which doesn’t omit the possibility that it is.” She walked on. “I’ll do a search through the database and see if there’s anything like that listed.”

“She felt old, so it may not be a recent event.”

She glanced at me again, curiosity stirring across her sharp but pretty features. “How does a ghost feel old?”

I hesitated. “It’s their metaphysical output—the older they are, the stronger they tend to be.”

“Huh. You learn something every day.” She stepped out onto the road and then stopped. “Are you sure you don’t want a lift home?”

“No, I’m fine. And if I don’t see you before, we’ll see you next week for dinner. About sixish?”

Her cheeks dimpled. “If the man hasn’t had some sort of coronary by then, most definitely.”

I grinned. “He’ll be fine—and so will the café. He’s got a great location and his hot chocolates are the best.”

“Yes, but as he keeps saying to me, there’s more to a café’s survival than good hot chocolate.” She gave me a lopsided smile. “But nothing ventured, nothing gained, as the old saying goes.”

“That’s a good motto to live by, I think.” Even though it was one I hadn’t really followed until recently. And even then, I still tended toward caution rather than adventurousness.

Except when it comes to Aiden, Belle commented, amusement in her mental tone. Your inner adventurer has definitely blossomed in his presence.

I wasn’t referring to the whole sex thing.

Jaz handed me a flashlight, then headed back into the forest. I spun around and strode back toward Castle Rock, the crunch of the stones under my feet lost to the rowdy song of the cicadas.

Tell that to someone who can’t read your mind. Where are you?

On Stephenson’s Track, walking home.

What the hell are you doing out there?

I gave her a quick update and then added, Did you get much cataloging done?

Surprisingly, yes. I think he’s rather fascinated by all the old legends and spells.

Did you find anything related to flesh strippers or White Lady ghosts?

Only a couple of minor mentions, but I grabbed some books on the way home. Do