by Alyssa Day
But Uncle Mike was frowning. "I don't know about this, Tess. I don't like the idea of your molecules being transported by magic portals, and I don't want to take a chance on Shelley traveling that way, either."
"You only warned me about helicopters," I reminded him.
"This is worse! Magic portals." He shook his head. "What's next? Transporters like on Star Trek?"
"That would be fun!"
He didn't appreciate my humor.
"Look, Uncle Mike. The portal didn't disassemble our molecules. We were still us. It was like stepping through a short tunnel, but with lots of sound and lights."
"The Atlanteans have been traveling that way for thousands of years," Jack said. "It's safer than flying in an airplane."
Uncle Mike scowled at him. "Sure, until the magic goes wonky. I live in Dead End, son. I know about wonky magic."
"I'm going to sit on the porch swing with Lou," Shelley shouted, and we heard the screen door bang shut behind her.
I sighed. "How about we change the subject? What's this about Shelley and Europe?"
Aunt Ruby looked worried. "Remember Shelley's mom's brother? The one who went into the Air Force? He has been stationed in Italy for a while, and the Kowalskis didn't tell him anything about Shelley and what happened to her mom and grandparents. He's coming to town with his family for the festival, and he called to tell us that he'd like to take custody of Shelley now."
"In Italy?"
"No, he's being transferred to London. They have a daughter exactly Shelley's age, and they're family, so… I just don't know." Her eyes started to fill with tears. "I don't know what to do."
Uncle Mike put an arm around her. "Now, now. We'll figure this out, honey."
I wished somebody would put an arm around me. The thought of Shelley moving to Europe left a giant hole inside me.
"We can't let her go," I blurted out. "She's ours. Where was he for all that time after her mom died?"
"He reached out to Sheriff Lawless when he couldn't reach his sister," Uncle Mike said. "And we know how that would have gone."
I was indignant. "And he couldn't have called anybody else in town?"
Jack reached out and took my hand. "We can't know who he tried to call, Tess. Maybe let's at least give him the benefit of the doubt."
I narrowed my eyes. "You're just saying that because he's in the Air Force. You military types stick together. I want to meet them and interrogate—interview—them to find out if we can even trust them with Shelley."
"Agreed," Uncle Mike said. "We do have legal custody, thanks to your P-Ops buddy, so it's not like he can just take her. We're having them over for dinner Saturday night, and we'll see what's what then."
"I don't like it," I grumbled, but Shelley came racing back inside then, so I forced a smile.
"When can we go to Atlantis? My history club will be so jealous! Can we do a field trip?"
Jack grinned at her. "Slow down, sweet pea. We'll see about the field trip. But we'd have to travel the conventional way for that."
"Yeah," I agreed. "Trying to get permission slips for a magic portal would be a no-go, even in Dead End."
After that, we wrapped things up. Jack and I had work the next day and Shelley had school. Not to mention that I was completely exhausted from the margarita hangover. Jack washed the glasses and Shelley dried them, chattering away about London and Atlantis the whole time.
Uncle Mike and I walked out on the porch and sat down on the swing while we waited.
"Hard to top a first date in Atlantis," he said. "Even the Orlando Museum of Dental History would have a hard time living up to that."
I elbowed him—gently—and then leaned my head on his shoulder, like I'd done so many times during my childhood. Uncle Mike had been my rock during many real and imagined emotional crises, but I was an adult now, and I needed to figure some things out for myself.
"That boy is in love with you, Tess," he said quietly, taking my hand in his.
I sat up so fast I felt dizzy. "No, he's not. It was only our first date."
"At least be honest with yourself. You two have been through more together than most people who've been together for twenty years. I can see it every time he looks at you."
"I… I don't know what to say to that." I swallowed, hard, feeling a little panicked. It was way too early to talk about love.
"If you love him, too—and I think you might already be there—you're going to have to accept the obligations he has to his past. A man like that won't be content to stay in Dead End all the time. Are you willing to live with that?"
I laughed a little. "Well, hey. It's only Tuesday, and I've already been to Atlantis this week. Tess Callahan, adventurer and world traveler."
Aunt Ruby and Shelley walked out before I found a better answer, and I stood and hugged them both.
"I'm so glad you came over, punkin," I told Shelley, giving in to the urge to hug her again. "We'll have a great time this weekend at the festival."
"Aunt Ruby told me you're going to be the swamp cabbage! That's so cool!"
"Aunt Ruby is an evil, evil woman," I told my sister. "Never, ever trust her when she walks up to you and says 'here's the deal,' okay?"
"Tess! Behave!" Aunt Ruby took Shelley's hand and they walked out to the car.
Behind me, the door opened again and Jack walked out, wiping his hands on a dish towel. He aimed a steady look at Uncle Mike.
"There is nothing I wouldn't do for Tess, sir. Up to and including staying in Dead End."
Uncle Mike raised an eyebrow and then sighed. "Damn tiger hearing. Well, people who eavesdrop aren't always going to hear flattering things. And when people from your past call and that puts you in danger?"
It was past time for me to jump into this conversation. I reached out and took Jack's hand. "Then we'll deal with that as it comes up. Jack wouldn't be the man he is if he could ignore people who needed him, and you're just the same, Uncle Mike. Don't pretend you're not."
Jack flashed a very wicked grin at my uncle. "Just wait till you hear what I have in mind for our second date."
Uncle Mike just shook his head. "I guess we'll see."
When they drove off I glanced up at Jack, suddenly feeling shy. "He likes you. He really does. He's just overprotective."
Jack pulled me closer for a hug. "I understand that completely. I'm fairly overprotective about you, myself."
"About that second date," I hinted, but he just laughed and we went back inside.
"I have a better idea. How about that welcome-home kiss?"
"Well. If there's nothing good on TV..."
Turns out, there wasn't.
14
My good mood Wednesday morning lasted all the way until I arrived at my shop, and then it died a horrible death.
The front window to the new addition to the building—Jack's office—was smashed, and his front door was hanging open.
I stayed in the car until his truck pulled up behind me. He jumped out of his truck, signaling me to stay back, and ran up to the building. I hit speed dial for Susan, not in the mood to go through the sheriff's office's crotchety dispatcher, but her phone went straight to voice mail.
"Susan, this might not be about the stalker, but somebody broke into Jack's office last night and—"
Jack walked back out of his office, his face grim.
"I'll call the office," I said, hung up, and climbed out of my car.
"What is it?"
"My office is trashed." His eyes flashed amber. "Spray paint creatively telling me to DIE, ANIMAL. And they ripped files out of the cabinet, yanked my phone out of the wall, the usual stuff."
"Oh, no. Jack, I'm so sorry. Do you think it's just kids? Or maybe—"
"Tess. It's not kids. There are peppermint wrappers on my floor, and you've got another surprise." He pointed at a large, gift-wrapped box on the wooden floor of our front porch.
I reluctantly climbed the steps, sure that I did not want anything to do with whatever was insi
de that box.
"Let's not touch it. Get Susan and Andy out here to do their thing, all right?"
I nodded. While he called the sheriff's office, I unlocked the door to the shop, almost terrified over what I'd find. At first glance, though, not a single thing seemed to be out of place.
"I don't understand why he would break your office window but leave my huge display windows alone," I said, frowning. "I mean, I'm glad, but I don't understand the logic. It seems like shattering these big windows would be more satisfying."
Jack bent over to read the card and then stood and nodded. "I understand the logic completely. Whoever this is wants something from you or is obsessed with you. I'm an obstacle."
"I'm so sorry, Jack," I whispered.
He took two quick strides over to where I was huddling against my door and pulled me close to him. "You have nothing to be sorry for. This psycho is the problem. It has nothing to do with you. We're going to find him."
I nodded and took a deep breath. "I know. I'm going to keep you safe, Jack."
He grinned. "I think that's my line."
"We're a team."
While we waited for Andy or Susan to show up, I went into the shop and made coffee. And then I made some phone calls. We needed a cleanup party and to get the window replaced. Within minutes, I had Dave Wolf on his way from his construction site with paint and replacement windows, and Lucky and Dallas on their way for labor and support, while Austin and some of the other guys stayed behind and ran the swamp boat tours.
Andy roared into the parking lot, siren blaring, and pulled to a neat stop between my car and Jack's truck. He shut off the siren and lights and walked over to us; a fierce scowl on his freckled face.
"Are you okay, Tess?"
I nodded. "I'm fine, Andy. Just a little bit freaked out."
"I'm fine, too, thanks for asking," Jack said dryly.
Andy pulled on a pair of gloves. "What's in the box this time?"
"We thought we should wait for you to open it."
When he glanced up at me, I shrugged. "We didn't want to disturb the evidence. It's not ticking or anything."
He froze for a second and then squared his shoulders. "Okay, step back, you two, just in case."
"It doesn't smell like explosives or chemicals," Jack said. "No blood this time, either, unless it's wrapped in plastic or something."
We all held out breath when Andy opened the box to find… a stuffed animal. A toy stuffed animal, not a taxidermied one.
A stuffed tiger, to be exact.
With a giant knife stuck through its head.
"Well, that's subtle," Jack said.
"I need to sit down," I said, suddenly feeling woozy. I had just had enough.
Enough threats, enough crime, enough danger.
I wanted to go back to my semi-ordinary life, running my pawnshop and baking pies for my friends. The problem was that I didn't know how to do that. The bad guys didn't seem to want to leave me alone.
I stomped inside the shop, sat down on the stool behind the counter, and put my head in my hands.
Andy followed me in, looking angry and miserable all at the same time. "I'm sorry, Tess. We have no leads on this guy. Ann Feeney just seems to have disappeared into thin air. Nobody has a clue where she might have gone or with who. The mystery boyfriend is still that. And we got no trace evidence of any kind off the packages that were left for you."
I raised my head. "I have a clue. We need to investigate Pastor Nash."
"Tess," Jack said, walking into the shop. "We don't know—"
I pointed at Jack. "Do you have a better idea?"
"Well, the Fox brothers are still checking into Hammermill's finances, but as of now, no."
"Exactly."
Andy tilted his head. "Tess. What about Pastor Nash?"
"He likes peppermints."
This proclamation did not have the "Eureka" effect I'd been going for.
"And?"
"Isn't that enough? I caught Henrietta buying three bags of them at Target."
"Caught?" Andy sighed. "Tess, lots of people like peppermints. I have a bag in the glove box of my car right now. That's not enough to make me think Caleb Nash is a viable suspect."
I threw my hands in the air. "Well, it's more of a clue than you seem to have. Can't you just investigate or something?"
Andy looked at me for a long moment, and then he nodded, pulled out his phone, and punched in a number.
"Mrs. Nash? Sorry to bother you, but I think I saw the pastor's car out by the pawnshop earlier today and he has a busted tail light. You're gonna want to get that fixed."
He listened in silence for a moment, and then he looked at me while he talked.
"Hasn't left his bed since Sunday after church, you say? Yeah, that cold that's going around is nasty. Are you sure? Okay. Okay. I sure hope he and the kids get better soon. You need me to run to the store for anything? Okay. See you at the festival, I hope. Thanks, Mrs. Nash."
He hung up and shook his head. "He hasn't left the house all week, Tess."
"She could be covering for him." It sounded ridiculous even as I was saying it, though, and I knew it.
I blew out a sigh. "Okay. Thanks for taking me seriously, though, Andy. I'm just so frustrated."
"Always," he said. "And we're frustrated, too. I'll take some pictures of the damage, Jack, and file a report so you can turn it in to your insurance."
Jack frowned. "I guess I should get insurance."
Never having owned a building or a business before, Jack had some basic business principles to catch up on.
Andy just shook his head, took the box, and took off.
"I'm closing the shop for the day," I told Jack after Andy left. "I need a break. We'll get your place cleaned up, and then I need to go check on Eleanor."
But when Dave got there, he told me his mom was volunteering at the elementary school all day. He and Jack started talking about windows and paint while I helped Jack clean up the paper scattered all over his office. When Dave went back out to his truck for supplies, Jack pulled me aside.
"Tess. Why don't you go home? Relax, hang out with Lou, and catch your breath? Or, better yet, go to Mike and Ruby's house. We'll be here working on this for a while, but then I'll come get you and we'll get out of town and do something fun this evening. Something that has nothing to do with swamp cabbage or stalkers or any other unpleasant thing."
He touched my hair, and I leaned my forehead on his chest for a moment. "I love that idea. Are you sure you don't need me to help clean up?"
"We've got this. And there are the boys, driving up as we speak."
I turned to see Dallas and Lucky climbing out of Lucky's truck.
Dallas whistled. "Somebody doesn’t like you."
"There's an understatement," Jack said.
Dallas and Austin Fox were twin brothers, former Army Rangers, and computer geniuses. They had beautiful chocolate-brown eyes and dark brown skin, and they were absolutely gorgeous. Also, I thought Dallas was interested in or even dating Mellie.
"Have you heard from Mellie?" I asked him. "Is she feeling better?"
He frowned. "No, she hasn't answered my texts. But Austin is sick, too, and he feels miserable, so I get it."
"She must be really sick," I told him. "I don't think Mellie has ever not answered a text in her life. This stupid cold is knocking everybody out."
"Hey, Tess," Lucky said. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. This time, the attack was focused on Jack. I'll let him explain. I'm headed out to see my aunt and uncle. See you at the festival?"
They nodded.
I started down off the porch, but Jack caught my hand and walked to my car with me.
"Be careful," he said, his green eyes still sparking with flashes of amber. "I don't want anything to happen to you. It should be safe enough in broad daylight, but we don't know if or when this guy will escalate."
"I'll be fine. Just get this all cleaned up and then come find me. I'll be a
t Aunt Ruby and Uncle Mike's."
He kissed me right there in front of his friends and then stood there while I got in the car.
"Text me when you get there."
I rolled my eyes. "So, is this the overprotective part you warned me about?"
He laughed. "Get used to it."
Oddly enough, I didn't mind.
Because I felt the same way about him.
I called Aunt Ruby to see if she was home, found out she was work, and filled her in, since Susan would have to report to her anyway. She was, predictably, very worried and said lots of things about staying safe and being careful. She also told me Uncle Mike was out of town running errands and she'd be busy at her office all day. So I decided to go home and do all the things I usually did on Sundays. After I texted Jack about the change of plans, I called Molly for a long talk about the date, and she agreed that Jack had lived up to even her very high standards. Then we talked about what I could possibly wear to the next date. Before we hung up, she promised to come home for the festival.
Which gave me an idea.
"So, Molly. You're short enough to fit in the swamp cabbage costume just perfectly—"
"Never gonna happen."
Three or four hours of scrubbing, dusting, vacuuming, and napping later, I wandered into the kitchen looking for something to eat. The sandwich I'd had for lunch hadn't lasted long, and I wasn't in the mood for leftover pizza. I decided to roast a chicken with potatoes and carrots. I started a pie crust, too, because all this fall decorating was putting me in the mood for pumpkin pie.
I was wrist-deep in pie dough when my phone buzzed. It was Jack, so I answered the call with a knuckle, put the phone on speaker, and went back to working the dough.
"The office is back to normal, and we installed security cameras, which we should have done a long time ago."
"Not a bad idea. Weird things may still happen, but at least we'll have video of the bad guys. Did you put one on the back of the building, too?" Two dead bodies had been left at the shop's back door, after all.
"Front, back, and sides. Are you still at home? Still up for going out?"
"Yes, I'm still home, but I don't feel like going out. I've been cleaning and cooking all day." I figured he didn't need to know about the napping.
