AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER 10
Hailey wasn’t kiddingabout the library. The place was a war zone. I ducked under a wayward paper airplane as I made my way to the counter where a frazzled Hailey was scanning books into the system.
“Remind me never to come here on a snow day again,” I remarked.
Hailey’s eyes bulged. “I wish I had the option. This is insanity. Have they forgotten how to stay home and enjoy each other’s company?”
“It’s the lack of internet, I think. They don’t know how to occupy their kids.”
She turned toward the masses and growled, “Play a board game, people.”
“I’m a big fan of Scrabble.”
Hailey passed me the book. “I already checked it out for you.” She rubbed her neck as a spitball made contact. “Go now. Save yourself.”
I took the book and hurried to the exit. “I owe you one, Hailey!”
I nearly slipped in the parking lot in my rush to escape. If I got to the point where I needed to seek traditional employment, I made a mental note to avoid the library. No matter how much I loved books, Fairhaven’s public library wasn’t worth the price.
My truck rattled as I tried to start the engine and, for a brief second of horror, I thought I’d have to return to the library to stay warm until a tow truck arrived. Thankfully, Gary didn’t let me down. It was clear the cold was affecting the ancient truck, though. Too much more of winter’s wrath and I’d have to switch to my motorcycle, which wasn’t the ideal mode of transportation right now.
On the drive home, I replayed the scene from Gun’s neighborhood over and over again in my mind. The lion simply walked by Kevin without touching him and the man exploded. It could have been a coincidence, except people didn’t go around blowing up for no reason. A heart attack, maybe, but bursting into a million pieces? No.
I carried the book into the house and made myself a sandwich since Gun and I didn’t make it to the promised lunch stage of the afternoon. I didn’t see a problem with a sandwich as a meal. I’d long ago given up on my five a day. In the warmer months, I added lettuce to my sandwich. Ta da. Vegetable.
I settled in my new wingback chair in front of the roaring fire and cracked open the book to the page with a green tab. Hailey was worth her weight in gold.
It didn’t take me long to learn a new fact about my opponent.
“Brody is part elf,” I told the fire.
I brought the book into the kitchen and set it aside to access the computer. I was relieved to see the internet was once again functional albeit slow. I typed a few keywords into the search bar and scanned the results. I clicked on a fewlinks and read the limited information the search engine turned up. There wasn’t much, but it was enough.
Like me, my new friend Brody was an actual freak of nature.
“The inter-webs are up and running?” Nana Pratt asked, startling me.
I twisted to glower at her. “Rules, Nana Pratt.”
“Blame Ray. He saw flames through the window and thought the house was on fire.”
The responsible ghost appeared behind her, wearing a guilty expression. “We were only looking out for your welfare.”
I sighed. “Were you looking out for my welfare when you let Kane in the house when I wasn’t home?”
The ghosts exchanged glances. “The demon was here?” Ray asked. “When?”
“While you two were outside waxing poetic about Christmas during the days of yore, clearly.”
“Did you two make up?” Nana Pratt asked.
“We were never fighting. Kane has intimacy issues and no interest in resolving them.”
They were both silent.
I narrowed my eyes. “What?”
“Nothing,” Ray said quickly.
