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“I don’t know,” I said. “They’re looking for the answers now. It could take a day, it could take a week or more. I hope they find out what caused it, and I’m praying it’s nothing malevolent. But I talked to Rebecca this morning and she said there’s something powerful shadowing me, and she seems to think that whoever set the fire was targeting me.”
“You haven’t been silent about moving,” Tad said.
“No, but I also haven’t made a big deal about it. There are a lot of people who still don’t know that I live with Killian now. So if it’s somebody with a grudge against me, they may not realize that I’ve moved.”
I settled myself at my desk, my mind far away from my work. I didn’t feel like looking up Woodlings, and I didn’t feel like reading about UFOs. I almost wished I had a headache so I could stay home, although I knew I’d be frustrated, not being able to check out the damage yet. And that wouldn’t help matters at all. With a sigh, I opened the book about Woodlings and began reading.
Ninety minutes later, I shut the book and picked up my phone. I stared at it for a moment, then opened up my contacts list and tapped Daya’s name, then brought the phone to my ear. I didn’t want this on speaker. She answered a moment later.
“Hey, Daya. This is January. I thought I’d call to see if you want to go out to lunch today?” I knew it sounded odd, especially since Daya and I had never been really close. But I couldn’t really think of any other good excuses except to flat out ask if she wanted to get together.
She paused for a moment, then said, “Well, I suppose. Is there something wrong?”
I scrambled, suddenly coming up with an idea. “I’d like to ask you something about our wedding.”
Another pause, but when she spoke again she sounded pleasantly surprised. “Okay, I can meet you at one. Where do you want to meet?”
I knew that Daya didn’t like diner food, so I suggested the Moonshadow Steakhouse. It was more upscale.
“Well, that sounds nice. I’ll meet you there at one. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go.”
I thought I heard giggling in the background as she hung up. I still thought she was a bit of a ditz, but at least I had bought some time alone with her, and maybe I could figure out what was going on from that.
“January?” Tad tapped my elbow.
I turned around. “What’s up?”
“I know you’re waiting on news, but do you think you have time to help out a potential new client? I just got a call from a woman who’s having problems with a ghost in her house. Nothing dangerous, a lot of things being moved around and she’s hearing someone whisper to her—not only at night but during the day.”
“I’d be happy to talk to her,” I said, thinking that as long as it was simple, I could manage it. “But remember, I won’t be around for the next couple weeks. And remember, Killian and I are taking a modified honeymoon.”
“True. Hey, what do you mean by ‘modified’? You know I’ll give you plenty of time off for anon-modifiedhoneymoon if you want it,” Tad said. “All you have to do is ask.”
Tad was the best boss I could ask for, if I had to have a boss.
“Killian can only take a week off. He can’t leave the practice longer than that. So we’ll take one week for a honeymoon, and next week I’m off to get ready for the wedding. Eventually, we’ll take more time, but for a week, we’ll either stay home, or go over to Port Townsend and spend the week there.”
“That sounds like fun. Port Townsend is beautiful,” Wren said.
“It’s close to Whisper Hollow,” Tad warned. “Don’t go there for your honeymoon unless you’re willing to attract unwanted attention.”
“Not planning on stopping in there,” I said. Whisper Hollow was a dark shadow town, and I really didn’t want to delve into its mysteries. “I’ve been to a lot of places around here, but I haven’t gone over to the peninsula much.”
At that moment, my phone rang. I glanced at caller ID and saw that it was the fire marshal. I stopped. “I have to take this,” I said, moving away as I answered the phone.
“Good morning,” Captain Wentworth said. “January?”
“Yes, it’s me. Do you have any more news?”
He cleared his throat. “Yes, I do. It didn’t take nearly as long as we thought it would. First, the house is salvageable. You can go in but be cautious in the living room/office area—the floor’s not too stable there. But the stairs, the supporting walls, are all still intact. Your house needs some work, but it will live on.”
“Whew,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad to hear that. I’ll talk to the insurance company later today. So, any idea of how the fire started yet?” I wasn’t prepared for his answer.
“Yes, actually. We did the preliminary tests we do at every fire in Moonshadow Bay, and it was positive. Magical fire. And magical fire isseldomever accidental. This was arson, January.”
I caught my breath, the relief streaming away. “Magical fire? You’re saying someone targeted my house deliberately?”
“As far as I can tell. We found the remains of a metal poppet, the kind used in fire magic. I’ll text you a picture of it. First, though, I need to ask you some questions. Can you come down to the station house for a few minutes?” He sounded hesitant, as though he were uncomfortable.
