“She’s also a happy hermit. I highly doubt she’ll feel compelled to leave her comfy cabin in the Marshes to join me in an office seven days a week.”
Justine tapped the end of her pen on the desk. “Okay, leave it with me. I’ll brainstorm with Lionel and get back to you with suggestions.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“The sooner we get you an assistant, the better, though. I feel like this island is falling apart at the seams.”
“I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration.”
Justine pinned me with a hard look. “I’m the president. I decide when the Neighborhood is in good shape.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Any oni updates? I haven’t heard about any recent sightings.”
“No, it seems like they made their presence known and then skedaddled.”
“A small blessing. Let’s hope it stays that way. Anything else to report?”
I couldn’t tell her about Darlene’s shadow killer, or she might rethink her stance on snake-fearing Priya. “No, ma’am.”
“Good. That’s all for now.” She started typing on the computer keyboard, effectively ending our meeting.
As I passed Lionel’s desk, he hissed softly under his breath.
“You’re hilarious,” I yelled over my shoulder.
“Gotta get my jollies somehow.”
If only jollies were my main concern. I had to resolve this shadow issue before Justine found out the truth, or I risked getting booted back to the mainland. I could not, under any circumstances, let that happen.
I spentwhat was left of the afternoon loitering around Terrapin, hoping to catch a glimpse of an unattended shadow. It was a difficult pretense to keep up, given the litany of questions hurled at me by passersby. By the time evening rolled around, I was starving and ready for a nap. Surveillance work was more tiring than people realized.
Midway through my chicken curry, I received a call from Meemaw.
“Your debt will be repaid tonight at seven.”
“You’re collecting so soon? It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours.”
“It was either tonight or next week, and I cannot listen to Louise complain for another seven days or I will be forced to take drastic measures.”
In Meemaw’s vocabulary, drastic measures indicated something very magical and very messy.
“I’ll see you at seven.”
“Bring a bottle of wine. We finished the one I had last night. Nothing cheap and nothing from California or Oregon.”
“What do you have against those states?”
“Nothing against the states. It’s their grapes I can’t stomach.”
“I wouldn’t have pegged you for a wine snob.”
“It seems we have a lot left to learn about each other, dearie. Good thing we’re playing a game tonight that fosters that kind of knowledge.” I could practically hear her smirking through the phone. “See you tonight, Maya.”
I glanced at the floor, where Jinx was plowing through a bowl of chicken mixed with kibble. “Game nights are supposed to be fun,” I told the cat. “Tonight will be the opposite of fun.”
She ignored me, fully intent on devouring every morsel of food.
