“You’re a walking history book.”
“We all are. That is the reason I enjoy listening to the conversations around me while I craft. Neighbors have lived such long and varied lives. I learn something new every day. Keeps me young.”
I glanced at Buck McKinley on the dance floor. “I bet there are some things you wish you could unlearn.” The crude werewolf was the type of man I hoped was a dying breed.
Kaito followed my gaze. “Buck has his flaws, but did you know he survived the Battle of the Bulge? He says if it hadn’t taken place in a forest, he isn’t sure he would have survived. His stories are harrowing. It’s no wonder he clings to certain vices.” He dropped his hands into his lap. “But you are a busy woman, and I doubt you came here to stroll down memory lane. How can I help you, Maya?”
Kaito was as insightful as he was quiet and unassuming. “Have you heard about the sightings?”
“The blue creature?”
“And a green one.” I described them in greater detail. “I was wondering if you might be able to identify them.”
His gaze shifted to the paper on the table in front of him. “You think I created them?” He chuckled. “My origami is good, but not that good.”
“I don’t think they’re origami. I think they might be Chinese or Japanese in origin.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Is that why you’re asking me? Because I’m Japanese?”
My gaze lowered to the table. “Maybe.”
“Maya August, I do believe you’re racially profiling me.”
“You’re not a suspect. I’m following a research lead.”
“A lead that involves creatures you’ve identified as potentially Japanese. Am I the only Japanese person you know?” To my relief, he sounded more amused than annoyed.
“No,” I replied truthfully, but I couldn’t askher. The door to that world was closed to me now.
Kaito picked up a sheet of paper and began to fold it. “If I had to guess, I’d say they’re oni.”
That was one of the options on my list. “What can you tell me about them?”
“They’re demonic spirits. They move between our realm and the realm of the dead.”
“So they’re ghosts,” a voice interrupted.
I looked to my right to see Bernice Daltrey, a newcomer to the island. She wore her silver hair slicked back and secured by a plaid headband. “Hi Bernice. Nice to see you getting involved in activities.”
“I prefer classical music to country, but it’s better than sitting around the condo, annoying Louise with the sound I make when I breathe. I’m surprised she hasn’t hexed me by now.”
“You two still not getting along?” I asked.
“It’s more of an undercurrent of tension, but it’s been hell on my nervous system.”
“I’m sorry.” The were-meerkat, or werekat, was prone to anxiety and stomach issues, one of the many facts about Neighbors I happened to know and wished I didn’t.
Bernice gestured to Kaito. “I want to hear more about these ghosts.”
“Not ghosts,” Kaito said, shifting toward her. “Oni.”
“Why haven’t they killed anyone?” I asked.
Bernice recoiled. “I was told this island was safe, but it’s been nothing but murder and mayhem since I arrived.”
“The oni will not kill you,” Kaito told her. “They are mere troublemakers.”
Bernice narrowed her eyes. “Good trouble or bad trouble?”
