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When I finally step back and survey my handiwork, a sense of pride fills me.
It took me hours, but the van now gleams under the fluorescent lights, as good as the day we drove it off the lot. I even buffed out the nicks and dings from our road trip. It’s been way too long since I spent time in the garage caring for our equipment.
I stretch my arms over my head with a groan, my spine popping and my muscles tight. One downside of no longer sharing a body with Darius all the time is that I now get to experience the minor discomforts of being human.
But there’s something to be said about the burn of well-used muscles after a long job.
I strip off my shirt, the material soaked with cleaner, water, and sweat. The cold air hits me, raising goose bumps, but I welcome the discomfort. Stepping out of my rubber boots, I shuck out of my jeans and toss everything into the garage bathroom to drip dry before heading upstairs.
After a long, hot shower, I pull on fresh clothes and head to the kitchen.
The large windows in the living room display a gray sky and a rain-soaked forest. It feels like night already, with the gray light coming into the cabin, but it’s only creeping up on five o’clock.
Everyone should be arriving home soon, so I start a fresh pot of coffee before pulling out vegetables to chop for dinner.
Just as I turn on the stove, my phone vibrates on the countertop.
I wipe my wet hands on a dish towel and grab the phone, only for my gut to clench when I see Meredith’s name on the scene.
Pen and Darius should be at the office, so why would our secretary be calling me?
I hit answer and put her on speaker. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Have you heard from Pen?” Worry tightens Meredith’s voice.
I turn off the stove and move the pan off to the side. “Not since this morning. She’s not at the office with you?”
“She and Darius took a missing person’s case and were heading to the Bone Yard, but they were supposed to check in with me hours ago.” Frustrated typing punctuates the words. “I’ve been calling and texting, but nothing. This isn’t like her.”
Pen is meticulous about checking in when she’s running a case.
“I’ll call Sharpe and Flint,” I tell her. “Maybe they’ve heard from her.”
“I hope you have better luck than I did.” Fear mingles with her frustration. “Why do we all have phones if no one answers them?”
Without waiting for a response, Meredith hangs up.
I dial Sharpe’s number, but it goes straight to voicemail.
My fingers clench around the phone. Today is usually when he’s in session with the city council, and they can keep him locked up into the evening with their petty squabbles.
I try Flint next, and again, no answer.
My jaw tightens as I disconnect the call, my mind racing through scenarios I’d rather not imagine.
When I pull up the tracking app on my phone to see if Flint is still at the Woo Woo Squad, I spot both him and Sharpe in the same location. I expand the map, searching for Pen and Darius, but they either turned theirs off or something is blocking their signals.
Throwing the cutting board with the veggies into the fridge, I grab my coat and wallet before heading back down to the garage.
I pull the keys for Darius’s sports car from the lockbox attached to the wall. We haven’t driven it in a while, so it’s unlikely there are any spells locked onto it.
When I slide behind the wheel and press the button for the bay door, the rain comes down in a solid sheet.
The sports car’s engine purrs to life, the sound almost drowned out by the downpour.
As I back out, water sloshes over the windshield. Flicking on the wipers, I carefully navigate up our steep driveway, then down the winding path through the woods to the main road.
Sometimes, living out in the middle of nowhere really sucks.
