AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As they set down all the food they were carrying, Raymond said, “Calvin told me not to get too fancy for dinner, but I thought you might like some of this brisket. I indulged myself and got one of those big professional smokers a few years back.”
“It all smells amazing,” I said truthfully, and smiled.
He inclined his head, as if accepting the compliment. Although feature for feature, Calvin resembled his mother far more than he did his father, I saw something of him in Raymond right then, something about the lift at the corners of his mouth and the glint in his night-dark eyes.
For a minute or two, we were quiet as we passed around the food and helped ourselves to everything. Raymond poured out the wine, although I noticed he didn’t seem inclined to offer a toast, but only drank some before any of the rest of us did, as if wanting to make sure it was all right.
Not sure what I should do, I went ahead and swallowed some of the cab. It was very good; now I was starting to see where Calvin had gotten his appreciation for wine.
“So, Selena,” Delia said after we’d all taken a few bites of our food. “Calvin tells me you’re a witch?”
He shot her a pained glance, but I managed to smile, and told myself it was a good thing she’d brought up the topic so soon. Better to get it out of the way and over with.
“That’s right,” I replied. “I sort of practice my own version of the craft, but I’ve been doing it for more than a decade. It’s very fulfilling.”
“And, I suppose, gives you a unique perspective on things.” Delia paused for a moment before adding, “Such as the secret of the San Ramon tribe.”
So, she was just going to put it out there. Well, I supposed that made some sense. There didn’t seem to be much point in beating around the bush.
“Yes,” I replied. “Although I have to admit finding out about Calvin was pure accident. I was in the right place at the right time.”
“Or the wrong place,” Calvin put in, “depending on how you look at it.”
Raymond leaned back slightly in his chair, fork resting against the rim of his plate. His dark eyes narrowed. “And this doesn’t bother you?”
“No,” I said immediately. “I mean, I won’t lie — finding out about the San Ramon tribe was a little bit of a shock. But, as I told Calvin, in my craft I’ve encountered a lot of strange and unusual things. This is just one more.”
“‘Strange and unusual’?” Delia echoed. “Such as?”
I risked a quick glance at Calvin, and he gave a very casual lift of his shoulders. Most likely, his parents had noted the exchange, but I tried not to let that deter me.
“Oh, you know,” I hedged, then decided I might as well go for broke. “I’m sure you’ve heard about Danny Ortega’s murder?”
Both Calvin’s parents nodded, and Delia murmured, “Yes, it was terrible.”
“Well, his spirit has decided to hang around Globe until we can figure out who killed him,” I said. “He came into my shop the other day to talk to me.”
I figured it was probably better not to mention how he’d also showed up in my apartment.
Raymond was too stoic to react very much to that comment, but Delia blinked before she got control of herself. “I beg your pardon?”
“Danny’s ghost,” I said. “He’s stuck on this plane for now. Luckily, he doesn’t seem too upset about it.”
For a moment, no one said anything. At last, Delia ventured, “Do you often speak with ghosts?”
“Not too often,” I replied, then sipped some cabernet. “That is, I’m not a trance medium or anything like that. But Danny reached out to me specifically because of the way I’d helped to solve some of the other murders that have taken place around here over the past few months, so I’m doing what I can to assist.”
An awkward silence fell after my little speech. Had I said too much? Should I have tried to brush off Delia’s question? I didn’t know them well enough to decide whether they were quietly judging me or whether they simply didn’t have much to offer in response to my remarks.
In the next moment, I found myself wishing we’d all stayed quiet, because Delia said, “And so you think these powers of yours make you an acceptable companion for our son?”
“Mother!” Calvin exclaimed, an angry light awakening in his dark eyes. Although he hadn’t raised his voice, the sharp note in those two syllables told me he was ready to come to my defense.
My heart warmed, even as I realized that all my misgivings about this dinner hadn’t been mere nerves.
No, the universe had been doing its best to warn me that this meeting wasn’t going to be all rainbows and kittens.
Luckily, I was an adult, and could take care of myself.
