21. Reese
Chapter 21
Reese
“ H ow do you think the person got inside the house last night?” I asked while we sat at the dining room table, me eating a buttered muffin and sipping coffee, him piercing the side of a blood bag with his fangs and sucking. His throat worked as he swallowed the nourishment down. There was something incredibly sexy about watching him eat in this way. And undeniably cute. I shouldn’t think a vampire sucking blood was cute, but he was with a capital C.
Would he ever want to take a sip from me? The bite might sting, but I had a feeling the pinch would be followed by pure bliss.
“I don’t know how they got in,” he said. “The back door was locked. My traps were in place. But somehow, they got past them without alerting me.”
“You said the back door was open, so they may have come in from that side.”
“No initially. When I came downstairs, I started there, and everything was locked up as it should be. They escaped that way, though they could’ve used any entrance. I need to see someone in town today. She may have some suggestions for how I can keep a witch from getting back inside. I will not let them make you feel threatened.”
But I did. There was no other way around it. I was safe as long as Wolf remained by my side, but we couldn’t go everywhere together. I needed to write, or I wouldn’t make my upcoming deadline. He’d eventually have to return to his job at Monsters, PI.
Which meant we had to figure out who this was and make them stop.
“This morning, I’ll take the doll to the historical society and see if they can tell me anything about it,” he said. “I’ll stop by my friend’s place after that.”
“Are we overlooking anyone? While I’m sure Flint or Tracy, let alone Wilber, is perfectly capable of trying to scare me, I’ve known them all for years, long before monsters joined our society. I don’t believe they’re witches.” Although, how would I know? It wasn’t like I could tell by their taste, like Wolf could.
“Some monsters have always mingled in human society, those who can either mask their appearance or who look just like you.”
“And you think one of them is after me?”
“We’re going to find out. I also plan to stop at Monsters, PI and speak with Thain about doing a reading on the doll.”
“I can work on a book while you’re gone.”
He lowered the empty blood bag onto the delicate plate he’d used to bring it from the refrigerator. “I’d prefer to have you with me if that’s possible.”
“I haven’t done much marketing lately, and I no longer have an assistant to handle various tasks I tend to put off myself. Someone has to do these things. If I let them drop, I’ll lose readers. Visibility is everything in this business, especially after what happened. And I still need to work on my next release. I’ve slowed some in the past year, but I try to write at least five thousand words Monday through Friday.”
“Can you bring your laptop and do some of this while I’m speaking with them?”
“I can.” I bit back my sigh. It didn’t make sense for me to remain here alone. Someone broke into my house last night despite Wolf’s traps and my locked doors. I’d be foolish to think I was safe here by myself. “I need to get a gun.”
“Not a bad idea. Do you know how to use one?”
“Believe it or not, my mom was quite the marksman at one time. She took me to firing ranges when I was younger, but I haven’t handled a gun in years.”
“We can stop by Shriek that’s why I felt I could stop by after picking up some groceries in town. I set her up with a snack and a full glass of water. She could get those things by herself, but she’s still using a walker and that makes it a challenge. She won’t need me for a little while, though.”
We walked into the living room, sitting, Wolf next to me on a sofa with Charmaine taking one of the high-back chairs across from us.
“What have you been up to since we graduated?” I asked, still unable to believe she was sitting in my home. We hadn’t parted on the best of terms, but she must’ve put her irritation behind her because she’d reached out. It was so good to see her again. She’d been my buddy through college, my friend who did all she could to support me, and I’d done the same.
“Like you, I left this small town and found a job in Orlando at Disney, would you believe. I started by playing the role of Cinderella, costume and all, but worked my way up into a management position. They were gracious enough to give me a leave of absence so I could come home to be with Mom.” Her easy smile rose, though it faded a bit when she glanced Wolf’s way. “You don’t need to tell me what you’ve been up to. Look at you, a bestselling author. I’ve bought all your books, and they’re so well written. I love how you twist the plots. I can never guess who committed the crime.”
“Thank you.” I lowered my laptop case onto the floor beside the sofa.
“How’s your mom?” she asked.
“Great. I was visiting with her yesterday. My aunt Beverly was there too. She moved back to town several months before I did. She bought the house next to Mom’s.”
“They always were close.”
Charmaine would know. She’d gone with me to Mom’s for dinner many nights while in college. We’d both lived in the dorms, my mother feeling I’d get a better experience living among other students rather than commuting from her house. We’d gotten into the habit of going home on the weekend to do our laundry and raid my mother’s fridge of whatever leftovers she was willing to part with. She always cooked us a big meal and packed up what was left for us to take to our dorms.
“Is your aunt still making a stink?” Charmaine asked.
“I try not to let her get to me.”
Wolf put his arm around my shoulders.
“Did you know my brother’s now an actor?” she said. “I know he’s going to be big one of these days. He lives with my dad and plans to move out when his career takes off. He’s been performing in off-Broadway shows.” She named some I’d actually heard of, though I wasn’t a theatre fan. “He’s amazing on stage. You live in New York City, so you’d know.”
“Not any longer,” I said. “I sold my apartment and moved back home two months ago.”
“Bummer for him.” Her shoulders curled forward before she straightened them and nodded. “Did you happen to see him while you were living there?”
“No, I didn’t. Charmaine’s older brother used to visit us in college a lot,” I told Wolf. “He was into acting even back then.”
“He was a theatre major like me,” Charmaine told Wolf. “My parents divorced when I was little, and Dad lives in New York City, which is perfect for my brother.”
Good thing the city was enormous; otherwise, I might’ve run into him while I lived there. Although, he must’ve forgotten about me by now.
“I’m glad to hear he’s doing well.” A neutral enough response. Still living with his dad, and he had to be at least thirty-two? But then, the economy was tough right now. And he hadn’t finished his degree, the last I knew, nor done any training, though that wasn’t why I hadn’t been interested. There was no spark between us, and you couldn’t push something like that.
“I should probably go,” Charmaine said, standing. “But it was great connecting with you again. Let’s not let a bunch of years go by without reaching out again. I missed you so much!”
“I’d love to talk again. How long will you be in town?” I rose, and we all walked into the foyer.
“I’m not sure. We can do lunch. I told my brother he should come help her when I leave, but he hasn’t committed to doing that yet.”
“It would be nice to see him again.” Another neutral statement. I opened the front door, and fresh air and sunshine poured in.
“I’ll tell him.” Charmaine stepped out onto my porch. “I’m sure he’d love to see you.” Her narrowed gaze slid across Wolfram. “Are you a vampire?”
“I am.” He dipped forward in a bow. “Any friend of Reese’s is a friend of mine.”
Her shrill laugh rang out. “Does that mean you won’t come knocking on my window one night asking if I’ll let you in?”
“The days of vampires doing things like that have long since fled,” he said. “Your neck is safe from me.”
“Yeah, okay.” Her frown didn’t fade until she looked my way. “Good seeing you again, Reese. I’m at . . .” She gave me her email, which was her name with a period between the first and last, plus a yahoo dot com. “I imagine you still use the same one, so I’ll reach out.”
“I do. Are you married?” I asked, since she was still using her maiden name for her email. Although, many chose not to change their names any longer.
“I hope I’ll find the right guy one day. I just haven’t yet,” she said with an easy smile. “But my Prince Charming is out there somewhere, and I’m sure he’ll soon stroll into my life, a glass slipper in his hand.”
Cute, since she’d once played Cinderella.
With a wave, she strode down the walkway and got into her car, backing out onto the road and driving toward town.
“I’ll ask around town about Charmaine’s brother—and her,” Wolf said as I shut the door and went to retrieve my laptop case.
“Because she stepped into my life again?” I asked.
“She said she’s been in town for a while, and you’ve been home for months. Why come see you now and not earlier?”
“Maybe she wasn’t sure I’d want to see her. It was bad back then. She was incredibly angry, and I was hurt that she kept pushing him on me when I told her I wasn’t interested.” I stared forward, lost in thought. “She seems to have gotten over her irritation now, but it’s been years. I doubt he even remembers my name.”
“We’ll see,” was all Wolf said.
I grabbed my laptop and drove into town, parking my SUV in the lot across from Monsters, PI. Inside, we waved to the yeti covering the desk, who must be Blake, back from vacation, and strode down the hall to Thain’s office.
“Hey,” the tall, muscular ogre with golden skin and warm brown eyes said, standing when Wolf poked his head through the partly opened doorway. His attention traveled to me, and he nodded politely. “What can I do for you two?”
We stepped inside and sat, me grinning at the black and white pug mix asleep on a dog bed to one side of the desk. The pet looked up, its tail flopping on the cushion.
Wolfram introduced us before he lifted the garbage bag and placed it on Thain’s desk. “I’d love to get your opinion on this.”
“It’s not a body, is it?” he said with a laugh that quickly faded. Wolf explained about the doll, and Thain grew serious. “I’d be glad to take a look.”
He unknotted the bag and slid the plastic wide enough to expose the doll’s gruesome face. I mean, she wasn’t truly gruesome. I was sure a child had loved her at one time and kissed that face to show her adoration. But still. We were talking creepy china doll here.
“I assume you’d like me to see if she can tell me anything.” Thain’s gaze remained on the doll.
Wolf grunted. “If you can.”
Thain pressed his palms together and closed his eyes. I didn’t understand whatever he whispered. Was he speaking in ogre-ish or a language older than his species?
His eyes opened, but he appeared to be staring at nothing.
Reaching forward, he placed his fingertips on the doll’s cheeks.
His guttural groan echoed in the room, echoed by the howl of his pet.