Chapter 26
Chapter twenty-six
Isaid goodbye to Ange and Nick after a couple of hours with good food, music, and a lot of laughter. Instead of talking about murder and suspicions, we reminisced about the good old times.
Back when Ange and I were teenagers, we’d had our wild days. Or what we thought was so daring—like sneaking out in the middle of the night, crawling through our bedroom windows, and heading into the woods around Jake’s cabin.
It had been a favorite hangout - until one night before Halloween, when we were convinced, we’d seen a werewolf.
We’d stayed within the city boundaries after that. Of course, it had only been a dog running loose. Anyway, it was a story that we’d told each other for years—over campfires and to creep each other out.
It was fun to see that, deep down, we were still young and silly. And that wrinkles and the first gray hairs didn’t mean a thing.
I set off for home, as relaxed as I’d been for months.
"You’re in a good mood," Cosmo said when I brushed my teeth.
He nudged the bathroom door open.
I motioned him out.
For once, he followed my instructions and waited patiently on the bed.
"Great evening?" he asked.
"I’d say so."
"Good. Because I’ve only been waiting for an update for ages. You never know, I might be on my second-to-last life. But yeah, just take your sweet time."
Was he grinning at me?
"Don’t you feel relaxed now that we know it’s as good as over?" I asked him.
"I do." Cosmo listened to my retelling with rapt attention and lots of nods. Then he agreed to let me sleep.
Before I drifted off, I remembered one niggling thing that I had meant to ask him.
"There are no wee folk about, right? Or werewolves and vampires? Aunt Violet always had garlic in her kitchen, but that’s only for cooking."
"Of course," he said. He paused to groom himself a little. “Naturally.”
Why did it take him so long to answer?
No, I thought. I mustn’t read something into every single pause he made.
All I had to do was to let him give me a complete list of paranormal or supernatural beings or entities I might encounter, after we had restored my aunt’s reputation and solved her murder.
I closed my eyes.
Thump.
I woke up with a start, with a heavy weight trying to suffocate me and my heartbeat so fast it drummed a staccato against my ribs.
Cosmo stared into my eyes.
"Was that you that went bump in the night?" I asked as he moved from my chest to the spot next to me.
"Very funny. I told you, you need training."
Now I was wide awake. "You’re kidding me."
Instead of answering, he jumped onto my dresser and from there—back onto my chest. "Ouch," I said. "That hurts."
"It wouldn’t have if you had slowed me down."
I glared at him, too tired and too sore to think of a witty retort. "When I’m asleep? Don’t do that again," I said.
He flicked his tail against my nose, left my bed, and snuggled into his basket.
I turned on my side, trying to get back to sleep.
Then, what seemed like a minute later, I opened my eyes to see him coming towards me. I crossed my arms over my chest.
He changed direction and landed next to me.
By now, I was so peeved off with him that I could almost feel steam coming out of my ears.
"Take the anger," he said.
I closed my eyes, and it was as if a fiery ball formed inside of me. I reached deep down – and —
"Ouch!" he cried out. The stress ball from my dresser had hit him right on the nose.
"Oh my God," I said. "I’m so sorry! Did I do that?"
"You sure did." He rubbed his nose. "Hit me full in the face."
"I didn’t mean to do that! How did I do that?"
"You have more pent-up rage inside of you than I expected."
For somebody who had only a minute ago been attacked by a flying object, he sounded surprisingly cheerful.
I probed his little nose with my fingertip.
He snarled at me.
"I’m sorry. I need to make sure that you don’t have to take a trip to the vet."
"It’s nothing," he said.
"That’s up to me to decide. My aunt left you in my care, and that means if I think you’d benefit from some medical attention, you’ll get it."
"Bex," he said, "it’s nothing."
"Okay. Can we now sleep? Without you flying down at me or whatever plans you have?"
"Fine. You’ve done enough for tonight. You’re making excellent progress." He ambled over to his basket and rolled up inside of it.
I pulled the duvet over my head. Maybe I should insist on separate bedrooms until he had learned exactly where Bex Merriweather’s boundaries were.
Although, I did feel slightly impressed with myself.
I had performed witchcraft to defend myself.
For a fleeting moment, I allowed myself the vision of me pelting people who annoyed the heck out of me with different kinds of objects.
Oranges were good—nice and round and easy to grip.
And it would have been so, so pleasurable to lob them magically into the face of a certain smug detective who belittled my aunt.
On the other hand, I stopped myself. He was only doing his job, even if he was on the wrong track.
I assumed the "reliable source" had been his acquaintance, Louisa.
But why would she spread rumors, even if they’d only started as pillow talk? And how did she fit in with Jimmy's boy and Pamela?
While I was still pondering this, I fell asleep again.