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Cupcake! I’ve already had a peanut butter cookie, Chip says proudly. Three times!
He really knows how to impress a girl.
That’s my favorite ball of orange fur, Cupcake says, coming over to give his paw a quick lick.
Things are really moving fast between these two.
In a blink, Savvy Sparrow herself appears beside me, holding a platter of cheese balls that eerily resemble eyes—mozzarella rounds with olive slices staring up in every direction. She’s dressed as Little Bo Peep, complete with a ruffled hoopskirt, six-foot staff, and lush velvet cape, because why not. Her platinum-blonde hair is teased high—Savvy believes the higher the hair, the closer to Heaven—and her makeup is flawless per usual. Savvy is gorgeous enough to be a cover model.
“Josie, honey, you have got to try these evil eyes!” Savvy says. “They’re to die for. Literally. I might have put too much garlic in them.”
“You know I’m a sucker for delicious things that stare back.” I pop one in my mouth and moan at the garlic explosion. “It seems I won’t have any trouble with vampires for the rest of the month,” I tease. “All the food here tonight looks amazing, Savvy!”
“Oh, sugar, this is just the beginning! Wait until you see what I’ve got planned for the rest of the week. I’m talking spiderweb cakes, tombstone cookies, pumpkin spice snickerdoodles and a cauldron full of cheese fondue that’ll make you happier than a possum eating a sweet potato!”
A breeze picks up, lifting Savvy’s cape and revealing a doll head the size of a large orange dangling from a gold chain around her neck.
I scream loud enough to qualify as tonight’s entertainment.
Both Fish and Chip let out a yowl of horror right along with me.
Savvy giggles up a storm. “Oh, don’t mind Henrietta! She’s my Halloween tradition. I’ve had this doll since I was six, and every October, I string her up and wear her around my neck. Keeps the spirit alive! And she keeps the spirits away, if you know what I mean.”
I press a hand to my chest and wait for my heart to climb back down out of my throat. My jaw drops as I stare at the thing. I have a feeling there’s not enough holy water on the planet to protect us from it.
That thing is horrifying. Fish looks genuinely terrified.
Oh, hon, I think it’s sweet. Cupcake gives a soft woof. Savvy does love her spooky traditions.
It’s a decapitated doll head, Fish counters.
It’s sentimental! Cupcake huffs.
Savvy winks. “I’d better go make sure those platters don’t run empty. Holler if you need anything!”
She takes off, hoopskirt swishing right and left, and Cupcake trots dutifully behind her. Henrietta bounces along against Savvy’s chest, and I silently vow never to turn my back on that doll.
The party rages on, and I notice other dogs and cats in costume mingling with guests, some dressed as adorable monsters, others as tiny vampires or pumpkins. A golden retriever dressed as a hot dog waddles past us, and Chip threatens to take a bite out of him. I hold Chip a little tighter because we all know he’d follow through, given half the chance.
“I guess some of the cover models are here after all,” I say as an entire parade of costumed cats and dogs is carted past us in the arms of their very proud owners. And somewhere out there, Georgie is proving the shirtless variety exists too.
Chip gasps. Josie, I just had the best idea! His tail slaps me in the face three times fast. You should write a cozy mystery about Fish, and me, and Huckleberry Hollow Wonderland!
I laugh. “We’re too busy living in one.”
Good point, he concedes. Hey! Do you think we’ll find a body tonight?
“Bite your fluffy little tongue,” I mutter. “Although, statistically? I’d say ask me again in an hour.”
Ooh, I hope it’s Delora, Fish says a little too enthusiastically, and I bite my fluffy little tongue to keep from agreeing.
Despite the festive atmosphere, a feeling of unease settles in my chest. Something about tonight feels wrong, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. Sure, I’m holding what feels like fifty pounds of felines. Not to mention the park is brimming with monsters and terror. But there’s something else. Something colder, deadlier looming in the night.
An ear-piercing scream blasts from the speakers, followed by maniacal laughter, and then I remember that everything about this spooky season is supposed to give me the creeps. Which essentially means I’m doing my job. The accidental body finding is just an unfortunate fringe benefit.
About half an hour drifts by as the cats and I meander around, chatting with authors and their rabid fans alike, while people stop me every three feet to take a selfie with Fish and Chip.
Dexter still hasn’t returned from his chat with Delora, and I’m starting to worry he may actually be helping me meet my homicide quota for the week.
