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Please, Goddess…let me make a good impression.
8
All Hallows
Mondayat the store was actually busier than usual, most likely because a lot of people came in to get last-minute items to give their homes the proper Halloween spirit. Whatever the reason, I was glad of the foot traffic, because it kept me from stewing too much about the upcoming dinner at Calvin’s parents’ house. And sure, that fateful meeting was still three days away, but it loomed in the back of my mind, even taking precedence over helping Danny find his killer.
Not that there was much I could do about that at the moment. I was working, and so was Jennifer, although she’d made a quick call partway through the day just to let me know she was mulling over the situation and would give me a heads-up if she thought of anything. I thanked her, and that seemed to be that…for the moment, anyway.
After I closed up the shop at the end of the day, I went into my office and busied myself with setting up the altar there with the spell candles I wanted to use for my Samhain ritual, as well as carefully selecting the crystals I thought best for the occasion — smoky quartz, obsidian, hematite, labradorite.
“And don’t touch any of it,” I warned Archie as I headed back to my bedroom to refresh my makeup and run a brush through my hair. Because Calvin was going to Hazel’s place straight from work, I’d be driving myself, which was fine. Having my own car would give me more flexibility.
Archie sniffed, then lay down on the runner in the hallway, looking singularly unimpressed. “Now, why on earth would I want to touch any of your things? I don’t believe in any of that hocus-pocus.”
“Well, you should,” I told him. “Considering that ‘hocus-pocus’ is what turned you into a cat in the first place.”
His eyes narrowed. “Oh,thatparticular witch had skills, I’ll grant you that. I have yet to see you do anything that proves you can actually cast spells. It all seems like a lot of hand waving and burning incense and playing with your pendulum and Tarot cards.”
Of all the —
“No, I don’t cast curses,” I said, relieved I sounded so measured despite the way Archie had just insulted me. “I’ve chosen not to walk that path. But it was magic that led me to Globe, and magic which forms every moment of my life. It’s all right if you can’t understand it, but remember — right now I’m the only person here who can give you the help you need.”
And because I didn’t want to get into an all-out argument on Samhain and risk bringing some seriously negative energies into my home, I grabbed my purse and stalked off before Archie could reply.
If he even meant to. He remained on the runner, now looking somewhat shocked, as if he hadn’t expected that kind of a response from me. In general, even though he’d definitely mastered the craft of getting on my nerves in new and exciting ways, I really tried not to let him get under my skin.
This time, though, he’d crossed a line.
I pulled in a few deep breaths as I got behind the wheel of my car and started the engine. While I could understand Archie’s frustration with his feline state, it certainly didn’t seem very smart to be lashing out at the only ally he had.
Was he angry that I’d agreed to help Danny Ortega find his murderer?
I suppose it was possible. In Archie’s mind, he probably thought Danny’s case couldn’t be all that pressing, since the man was already dead.
Well, I’d made the promise, so there wasn’t much I could do about the situation except forge ahead and hope a solution presented itself sooner rather than later.
Downtown’s streets were quiet, which was about what I’d expected. Archie should have plenty of peace and quiet for the next few hours, and I hoped he would be in a better mood when I got home.
Probably a vain hope, but I decided to cling to it for the moment.
By contrast, groups of trick-or-treaters already roamed Hazel’s neighborhood as I pulled up to her house. Luckily, though, there was a spot available right out front, so I parked there. And as I got out of my car, Calvin’s San Ramon P.D. Dodge Durango moved past me and snagged a place a few doors down.
The sound of excited children’s voices and laughter filled the air while I waited for him on the sidewalk. As he got out of his SUV, I once again found myself marveling that such an amazing hunk of man had decided to hook up with me.
When he got close, I thought I detected a gleam of admiration in his eyes. He bent and kissed me on the cheek, then said, “You look great. I like the skirt.”
I smiled up at him, glad he’d noticed. Because we were just hanging out at Hazel’s house, I hadn’t bothered with an actual costume, and instead wore a fun black and orange retro-style skirt scattered with sequins, along with a black top and black flats. It was nice to see that Calvin had noticed my outfit, since I’d put some care into it.
“Thanks,” I said. “You look good, too.”
He shot me a pained look, probably because he’d come here straight from work and was still wearing his khaki San Ramon tribal police uniform. “I think you’ve seen this outfit before.”
I grinned and replied, “True, but it still looks good on you. But you should probably let Hazel or me hand out the candy — we don’t want to freak out any of the kids or their parents when we open the door.”
His dark eyes glinted. “Good idea. Let’s get inside — I see a group of kids coming our way.”
Sure enough, a band of about seven children, all of whom looked to be around nine or ten and dressed in a motley assortment of costumes, were heading straight toward us. Calvin and I hurried up the walk to Hazel’s, and I leaned over to ring the doorbell.
