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“Unusual storm. Unusual behavior. It’s worth asking.”
“I agree.”
I listened to another roll of thunder that shook the Castle to its foundation. “Did you call to see if I knew the cause?”
“I know you like to stay on top of these things. Thought you might have a lead.”
“Why aren’t you lounging around with the rest of the Pack?”
“I’m not a Will Ferrell fan.”
“I don’t think we can be friends anymore.” The joke fell flat, which didn’t surprise me. West never bothered to pretend how he felt about me and my presence in his neighborhood.
“If you figure out what’s causing this storm, will you let me know?”
“I’ll send you a text. That way you don’t need to compromise your morals and values by speaking to me.” I hung up.
“If he doesn’t like you, he should stop calling,” Ray said.
“He can’t help himself. He knows there’s something off about this storm. The only other call he might make is to Kane, and we both know he draws the line there.”
Another clap of thunder rattled the house. Nana Pratt jumped closer to Ray.
“You know it can’t hurt you, right?” I asked. “You’re already dead.”
I opened the door and stepped onto the front porch as lightning brightened the dark sky. Snow covered the bridge, the steps, and half the porch. The hair on my arms stood on end, but it wasn’t from the cold air.
Ray joined me on the porch. “Is that a donkey on the road?”
I nodded, watching the creature trot past the gate like it was on its way to be blessed on an island.
“Must’ve gotten loose from one of the farms,” Ray said. “It’ll find its way back once the storm’s over.”
I looked at Ray. “Is our internet working?” My internet service was spotty at the best of times. It wouldn’t surprise me to lose service even if I didn’t lose power.
“I believe so. Why?”
I retreated into the house. “I want to do a little research.” I walked to the kitchen where the ancient computer occupied a quarter of the counter space.
“Anything I can do?” Ray asked.
“I doubt we have any relevant books in the house. The internet is my best bet.” I booted up the computer and waited. It wasn’t the fastest unit in the East, despite Steven Pratt’s technological expertise. He’d fixed my computer in exchange for helping find his missing sister. Poor Ashley had been the victim of kidnapping and nearly sacrificed to a monster so that the Bridger witches could improve their financial situation. It didn’t end well for the witches or thecreature they’d summoned. That particular battle introduced me to Kane’s flaming sword, which sounded like a hot euphemism but, sadly, wasn’t.
Did I say sadly? I shook my head to clear the unwanted thoughts. The only thing sad was that I’d shared a piece of myself with him and lived to regret it.
I typed in a couple search terms and scanned the results. I only made it through the first two entries when I lost the internet connection.
“Typical,” I grumbled.
“What did you want to look up?” Ray asked. “Maybe we can help you.”
“Know anything about the Bible?” I asked.
“I can tell you all about the Good Book,” Nana Pratt said. “That’s the book I’m most familiar with. What do you need to know?”
“What does the Bible have to say about the donkey?”
Ray looked at me with interest. “You have a theory.”
