I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I stared down at the screen. “The Halloween Bonfire Bash is one of the biggest events the town puts on in the fall. It’s the perfect opportunity to talk to him in a public setting without arousing suspicion.”
An owl hooted in a tree nearby.
“I don’t like it,” Riley muttered.
“What happened to wanting to get the details for your story?” I arched an eyebrow at him.
He leveled me with a glare. “No story is worth putting you in danger.”
I shivered at his protective tone, then shook my head. In just a few more days, Riley would go back to acting like normal… whatever normal was for him.
The thought sent a pang through me, but it was for the best. Spending the last few days with Riley had proved that I was in very real danger of falling for him, and that meant my heart was at risk. Because once the potion woreoff, I’d be left on my own. The best I could hope for was clearing my name, with or without Riley’s help, and moving on with my life.
Tomorrow I’d confront Jaxon and hopefully get to the bottom of this case once and for all.
Chapter 10
“HeyKitty,youready?”Lizzy called up the stairs.
“Coming!” I yelled back, fixing my hair once more in the mirror before grabbing a jacket. Since Lydia needed the car for a hot date tonight, Lizzy had offered to drop me off at the bonfire bash even though she wasn’t going herself.
Halloween was one of the biggest nights of the year in Austen Heights. For the kids, it meant a wild rampage up and down Main Street to collect as much candy as they could. For those my age, it meant the big bonfire bash at the cliffs. And for those Mom’s age, it meant the announcement of whoever won the SpooktacularShowdown. Plus, the witches in the nearby covens held extra séances and cast more spells tonight while magic was stronger and the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest.
Not that it mattered to us as much since Mom had been kicked out of her coven when she married a fae. We’d never been invited.
Mom’s shrill voice reached me before I was halfway down the stairs. “How could you do this to us, Lizzy? Go tell Mr. Collins that you’ll marry him at once!”
“I won’t!” Lizzy said, her voice loud but not as screeching as Mom’s.
“If you don’t apologize to Mr. Collins for turning him down, I’ll never speak to you again!”
“That isn’t the punishment you think it is.”
“What do you think, honey?” Mom must’ve been talking to Dad, which meant they were probably in Dad’s room on the main floor.
“My Lizzy marry Mr. Collins?” Dad laughed. “I’ve never heard a more ridiculous idea.”
“I’m ready, Lizzy,” I called from the living room.
She escaped from Dad’s room, giving me a relieved look. “Great. Let’s go.”
We hurried outside, where Lizzy’s Honda was parked behind the house. The crisp scent of autumn air and apple brew drifted toward me from a neighboring shop. More and more were now decorated for the Spooktacular Showdown, and jack-o’-lanterns leered at me with their flickering grins from front porches. The song “This is Halloween” drifted from a house down the street, and a few children squealed as they bobbed for apples in someone’s yard. A kid and her parents manned a stand selling apple cider and donuts.
My phone buzzed with a message from Riley as I slipped into the car.
I looked into Eve’s story, and it seems like she was telling the truth. I can’t find any connections between her and Graham.
I’ll let you know what I find out from Jaxon tonight.
Try to stay out of trouble, at least until I get there. I’m getting pretty attached to you.
I shook my head at his message and put my phone away. Riley had wanted to come with me tonight, but his boss had called him in to cover a different story, which meant I was on my own for a while.
“Thanks for the ride.” I turned the vents to blast me with warmth and folded my arms across my sweater. A little girl with a ghost costume darted in front of us as we waited to pull onto Main Street, waving her pumpkin-shaped candy bucket and cackling gleefully. A little boy dressed like an old librarian trailed after her, pushing his spectacles up his nose and trying to untangle the strap of his ghost-shaped bucket that was caught on one of his suspenders.
“No problem.” Lizzy drummed her fingers on the steering wheel and pulled onto the street, heading east through town. Her chocolate brown hair sat in a messy bun on top of her head, and she wore a dark blue sweater that said Columbia on it from her school days. Surprisingly,she didn’t say a word about what happened last night.
I hesitated, unsure if I should ask since that might prompt Lizzy to ask me questions as well. In the end, my curiosity prevailed. “Is everything okay?”
