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“I don’t think there are any left to work unless she plans to move into the office and sleep there.”
Pain stabbed my chest. I related to Alicia more than she knew. Left alone is left alone, no matter how or why it’s accomplished. “I have ice cream if you’re interested.”
“It’s November.”
“Do you stop eating fat and sugar in November?”
“Hell no. This stomach is open for business all year round.”
I opened the freezer and fetched the carton of ice cream to let it thaw a bit. “Thought so.”
“Do you think somebody might’ve summoned a sleeping demon?” Alicia asked. “Maybe a kid who didn’t want to go to school.”
I pulled down a bowl from the shelf. “Unlikely.”
“But possible, right? If I learned about the crossroads and demons, someone else could have too.”
I didn’t own an ice cream scooper, so I opted for a serving spoon. “It’s possible. Still unlikely.”
“Then what do you think happened to my mom, and why didn’t it happen to me?” Her brown eyes glistened with unshed tears.
I leaned across the counter to address her closely. “Alicia, I know what you’re thinking, and I want you to hear me. This is not your fault. This has nothing to do with the demon you summoned or anything else related to you.”
“You don’t know that. I read about these hitchhiker demons that attach themselves to the summoned one. What if some crazy coma demon hitchhiked to Fairhaven with the one I called?”
“Then we would’ve known about it long before now. Too much time has passed since then.”
Alicia’s gaze dropped to the counter. “You swear?”
“I can’t say never, but I can tell you the chances are infinitesimally small.” I filled the small bowl with ice cream and slid it to Alicia.
“Got any chocolate syrup?” she asked.
“I don’t, but I can throw a few blueberries on top.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Thanks, I’ll pass.”
I watched her dive into the ice cream with gusto.
“Aren’t you going to have any?” she asked between mouthfuls.
“I’m not in the mood.” My mind was working overtime to figure out exactly how much danger Renee and Cam were in. Alicia’s presence in my house only added to the pressure; I refused to let the teenager lose her mother on my watch.
Alicia made short work of the dessert. I was impressed that she brought the bowl to the sink to rinse it without prompting.
“It’s getting late, and you have school tomorrow,” I said. “You should go upstairs now and get ready for bed.”
“Can I watch TV first?”
“You could if I owned one. Now go on up.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Alicia skirted the island and disappeared through the kitchen doorway.
I unhooked a sweater from the back of a chair and slipped it over my head. Although the air was cool and crisp, it wasn’t too cold to linger on the front porch for a few minutes before I turned in. I needed to unwind in solitude.
I stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind me. The lights of downtown Fairhaven glittered below. Even with the bright moon and stars, it was too dark to glimpse the river at the other end of town.
I sat on the step and hugged myself. Alicia’s concern that a demon had hitched a ride through the crossroads gnawed at me, not because I secretly believed it was true; my point about timing was valid. And now I couldn’t stop thinking about the timing. It bothered me that the town’s sleep issues seemed to coincide with the arrival of both The Corporation’s investigator and Officer Leo. What if one of them was the cause? Officer Leo was human, though, I was certain of it. And I already knew Naomi wasn’t—but neither did she have any reason to put people in comas. Still, I couldn’t ignore the timing.
