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“Good question, Kurt,” West said.
Kurt. Got it.
I looked at Sage. “What kind of animals?”
“All different sorts. Livestock. Bloodhounds. Even my friend’s cat.”
“We don’t know the giant snake is responsible for all that,” Kurt said. “Maybe it’s a coincidence.”
“You’d think the deer would keep the creature well fed,” Magda said. “We’ve got more than our share of them in these woods.”
West observed Arthur’s body. “I don’t care about the damn goats and chickens. I care that we just lost one of our own.”
“I understand, West,” Magda said quietly, “but know thy enemy, right? If it doesn’t eat deer, maybe there’s a reason.”
“Maybe it doesn’t like the taste of venison. I don’t really give a shit.” West clenched his fists. “The only thing I want to know right now is how to kill it.”
CHAPTER15
It bothered me that the monster that killed Arthur was one whose stories had tormented him as a child. If his nightmare had come true, I worried that I was somehow to blame, except I’d used my powers very sparingly since my arrival, and I hadn’t spent time in Arthur’s head. And how did the gwiber relate to Ashley’s disappearance? I couldn’t connect the dots.
Of course, there was always a chance it was a coincidence that a gwiber of all things had killed him. People sometimes attracted the thing they feared most. The universe had a twisted sense of humor.
If the pack was going to hunt the gwiber, the least I could do was offer information that might help their search. Without decent Internet service, I had no choice but to use the public computer at the library to conduct my research. The Internet on my phone was too unreliable. I’d get halfway through an article and lose connection. It made me twitchy to read too much on my phone anyway; the screen was too small.
The library parking lot was surprisingly crowded. I couldn’t imagine what had attracted so many people at once. I spotted Hailey crossing the parking lot from a different angle and waved. We met on the corner of the sidewalk.
“How’s that James Patterson book?”
“It isn’t due back yet, is it?” It would take time for Ray to finish the book. He complained that he hadn’t yet mastered turning the pages. I told him that it would take practice. He seemed to think that because he’d thrown wooden boards around that he could do anything now. It was the difference between bludgeoning someone and performing open heart surgery.
“Not yet,” Hailey said, “and you can always renew it if you need to.”
“Is this a typical Thursday?” I asked, gesturing to the cars.
“Toddler story hour. Fair warning, it’s a little on the noisy side. They don’t tend to grasp the concept of quiet time at this age.”
I’d have to persevere. I needed the information more than I needed quiet time. As I was about to respond, a figure caught my eye as she emerged from the library. She wore a black dress that reached her ankles, along with black laced boots.
“Hey, Vic.” Hailey waved to the woman she passed.
The woman smiled in greeting and continued toward downtown on foot.
“You can see her?” I whispered.
Hailey’s brow creased. “Of course I can see her.”
“What’s her story? Why the library?” There’d been a few ghosts I regularly encountered in the London Library, but not as many I would’ve expected in a city as old as London.
Hailey seemed confused by the question. “She’s twenty-two, I think. Moved here last year after she graduated college. Her real name is Sasha, but everyone calls her Vic because of the Victorian dresses she wears. Doesn’t matter what the weather is; she’s always dressed like that. I’d sweat my ass off, but Vic doesn’t seem bothered.”
It took me a moment to process that Vic wasn’t a ghost. “She dresses like a Victorian woman. Why?”
“Who knows? I thought it was odd at first, but now I think it’s kind of cool.” Hailey laughed. “Why would you think I couldn’t see her? I mean, she does blend in at nighttime. Once the sun sets, she has that Cheshire cat thing where you can’t see her until she smiles.”
Hailey advanced toward the entrance, and I fell in step with her. “There definitely seems to be an eclectic crowd in Fairhaven.”
“One of the many reasons I love it. Wait until you meet the Kangs. They have a whole fleet of cars. Don’t let them corner you, or you’ll be stuck looking at their five thousand photos. They show off pictures of their cars the way other people show off their kids or pets.”
