Chapter 14 #2
“That’s a good idea. Dinner’s ready. I made beef enchiladas, and for dessert I decide to make a chocolate cake.
It just seemed like a good day for chocolate.
” She led the way into the kitchen, and I followed.
I set Jangles down on a chair and helped Penn set the table.
She brought over the casserole dish filled with enchiladas, and the chocolate cake was on a stand already, on the table.
Penn was practicing cake decorating, and she was doing a good job, the cake actually looked pretty and vintage. Everything smelled like heaven.
We settled in a our chairs, and talked about the day.
“You wouldn’t believe what I found out about Give A Hand Up,” I said.
“Do tell?” She scooped extra sauce over enchiladas and then handed me the spoon.
I told her about their slavery operations in the past and, apparently, in the present. “I really want to take care of James Appleberry. He’s a fucking waste of space.”
“What can we do to him? And does he have any children to pass the company onto?” Penn asked.
“I don’t know, to be honest. I suppose we should consider handing the whole case over to the FBSI. We have enough evidence.”
The Federal Bureau of Supernatural Investigations was an offshoot of the regular FBI, but it was uniquely situated to take care of both national and international supernatural crimes. They got involved when the case was too big for the locals, or too dangerous.
I wasn’t sure how much I trusted them—I didn’t particularly trust any government agency—but they did a better job than the local police. I tended to prefer working with agencies created within the Supe community, rather than those who were formed primarily from human standards.
For one thing, there were some criminal activities that deserved a whole lot more than a few years in prison.
Those of us who were of supernatural lineage—whether half or full—tended to live by harsher rules than the humans.
In fact, if you lived on sovereign land, all bets were off and rule was by the council of elders.
“In this case, I’d think about involving them,” Penn said. “For one thing, a number of humans have been victimized as well as Supes. I believe James Appleberry happens to be human as well, isn’t he?”
“You make a good point,” I said, forking a bite of enchilada into my mouth. The warmth of the tomato sauce and beef against the buttery tortilla wrap made me stop, close my eyes, and welcome the break in a rough day. “You’re probably right.”
“Well I’ve got some news,” Penn said. “It looks like were getting new neighbors. The Klaxons sold their house, and I saw a moving truck pulling up today.”
“I hope they’re not a bunch of idiots. Or party hearty types. That’s the last thing I want to deal with.”
“Better that than a bunch of right-wing nutjobs. I don’t want someone picketing outside our front gate.” Penn held out her hand for my plate and carried our dishes over to the counter.
I picked up the knife and began to cut the chocolate cake, sliding the pieces onto dessert plates.
“I don’t think we have to worry though,” she said.
“They look a little punk, but they waved to me and came over to introduce themselves. Her name is Lena and his name is George. She’s an artist and he’s a musician, but he promised that they have soundproofed the garage so we won’t hear him practicing. ”
“What does he play?” I asked.
“Retro grunge, a little psychedelia. Apparently he’s a classically trained pianist, but he traded it in for a keyboard and leather jacket.
She’s a sculptor, and she’s had several shows around town.
I saw a couple of the larger pieces they were moving into their house and honestly, she’s talented. ” Penn accepted her cake.
“Do they have any kids?” I asked.
Penn shook her head. “No, and they are of an age that I think if they were going to have children, they would by now. They didn’t say anything about kids. They do have a dog, a goofy golden retriever. Her name is Schnauzer, which I found odd. But I didn’t question it.”
“Well, I’ll have to stop and say hello. Are you going to bake them some muffins?” Penn liked playing the welcome wagon hostess if she thought the neighbors were worth talking to.
“Already baked. I thought we could take them over together before we leave for the meeting.” She pointed to the cake. “What do you think?”
“Incredible. I thought it was just chocolate, but that’s mocha, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “I used for shots of espresso in the batter. And a little espresso flavoring in the buttercream.”
We finished our dessert and then, gathering our things and the basket of muffins, we walked across the street.
We weren’t exactly on a cul-de-sac, but the street that we lived on was narrow with very little through traffic.
As we approached the door, Penn reached out and rang the bell.
A moment later, a woman answered. She was a little shorter than I was, with a petite build, and mousy brown hair caught up in a messy bun.
She was wearing an oversized T-shirt and leggings and when she saw Penn, she broke into a smile.
“Hey, fancy seeing you again,” she said.
“I thought I just drop these off to welcome you to the neighborhood. This is my roommate Kyann. She owns the house we live in.” Penn handed her the basket of cranberry studded muffins.
Lena lifted the corner of the cloth inhaled deeply. “They smell incredible. Would you like to come in?”
I shook my head. “Thank you, but we have an appointment we need to keep. Welcome to the neighborhood. If you need anything just let us know.”
“Thank you. We’ll see you later? Maybe we can have dinner together sometime. You can fill us in on the neighborhood,” she added.
“Definitely,” I said. Penn and I waved goodbye and headed back across the street to my car.
I glanced over my shoulder at the house, hoping that Lena and George would prove to be as friendly as they seemed.
As we headed out into the darkening night, I hope the rest of the evening would prove as easy as meeting the neighbors had been.