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“Yes, I have.”
“Do you remember two women who fit that description? Who might have gone missing?” It was a long shot, but worth asking.
She put the kettle on. “Hm. Tea?”
I shook my head. “I’m not a tea drinker, to be honest. But some bouillon would be nice. I have bouillon paste in the fridge.” I loved chicken broth and drank it on a regular basis when I needed comforting.
May raised her eyebrows, but retrieved the jar and made me a mug of bouillon while she made herself some tea. “Let me think about the women. First, though, I should call Bran and let him know I’m almost ready. He’s coming to walk me back to the house. I told him I’m fine, but with Olivia’s death, he’s on edge over me being out by myself.”
“That’s not a bad thing. It’s amazing what can happen in a short time,” I said, thinking back to Rian’s death. “I’m glad he’s looking out for you. Oh, by the way, there was a second murder. This time it was a man.”
May frowned. “A second? Then it’s not a one-off. That’s worrying.” She shook her head. “I’ll call Bran.”
While May called her son, I headed into the bedroom to peek in on Fancypants. He was curled up in the dresser drawer, on the floor near my bed, fast asleep. I wanted to wake him up because he looked so damned cute, but decided to let the little guy sleep. Returning to the kitchen, I put the peas back in the freezer, setting them to one side so I wouldn’t absent-mindedly eat them. They could re-freeze for ice-pack duty without a problem, though.
May was waiting for me. “Bran will be here in a few minutes. I told him to drive over, since there’s been a second death. Take no chances, you know. As far as the two old women…I vaguely remember a pair of sisters who annoyed everybody. They might fit that description, but that was years ago—when I was younger. That’s the best I can do.”
“I’m sure the coroner will be able to identify them. They still had their teeth. Of course, if they died prior to the advent of DNA analysis, that might not do any good.”
The sound of a vehicle in the front announced Bran’s arrival. I walked with May back to the living room as the doorbell rang. Taking no chances, I peeked through the peephole to see Bran standing there, and opened the door.
“Hey, thanks for coming to get your mom,” I said. “I don’t know if you’d heard, but there was a second murder this morning—a man.”
His smile slipped as he stopped, reaching out to almost touch my face. He pulled his hand back, but said, “You okay?”
I shrugged. “I met a possessed man’s fist. He didn’t like me nosing around his house.”
Of course, that made Bran sit down to hear the whole story. After I finished, he let out a low whistle.
“I hope that they keep him behind bars till those spirits can be exorcised—his wife and kids are prime targets. Say, you want me to come over tomorrow and help you plant those herbs?”
“You don’t have to. You must have your own crops to tend to—” I started to say, but he interrupted.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be over at ten, if that isn’t too early,” Bran said.
I glanced at May, who was grinning, but she said nothing. “Well, if you’re sure…I have an appointment at noon, though. Faron Collinsworth asked me if he could pick my brain about something.”
Bran’s demeanor shifted. His eyes narrowed as he cleared his throat. “What does Faron want with you? I thought wolf shifters and witches don’t get along.”
“We don’t, generally. In fact, I’ve had two run-ins with Faron in the past couple days. But apparently something happened that he wants magical advice on. I told him to come over around noon.” I suddenly felt like I had to explain myself and that I didn’t like. “Whatever the case, it shouldn’t take long.”
“No problem,” Bran said, standing. “I’ll be done by noon.” He escorted his mother to the door.
May turned back to me and winked. “I’ll call you tomorrow to see how things are going with Fancypants. If you need me before then, text.”
“Be sure to lock your doors after we leave,” Bran reminded me. “And don’t go out in the woods alone. Not with two people torn to bits.”
I saw both of them out, waving as they drove away. As I closed the door and locked it, a noise behind me startled me and I whirled around. But it was Fancypants, flying out of the bedroom. He made a beeline for me and landed on my shoulder, staring at my face intently.
“You’re hurt. Somebody hurt you.” He leaned in to stare at my cheek. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I will be. May cleaned up the bruise and treated it.” I didn’t want to worry him. “So, here we are. You hungry?” I knew that kittens ate a lot when they were young, but I wasn’t sure about dragonettes.
“Not yet. But soon, I’ll need food,” Fancypants said. “This is new…but…there are some things that feel familiar, though they’re not.”
I stared at him, as best as I could, given how close he was to my head. It would have been one thing had he been already hatched, but to see a creature so young with such a grasp on communication—it boggled my mind. He was a baby, yet he was as developed in communication as most adult humans. I was having a hard time wrestling with that concept.
“So…when you were in the egg, were you thinking like you are now?”
