Miss Frost Saves The Sandman: A Nocturne Falls Mystery (Jayne Frost Book 3)

by Kristen Painter

  He nodded. “Do it. Go now.”

  They got up from the table and left. Deputy Lafitte spoke as the door closed behind them. “Do you have pictures of Sanders and his assistant?”

  Birdie started typing on her laptop. “I can help with that.” She leaned back, tapped one button rather decisively and looked at Lafitte. “Check your email. I just sent you the picture from the book signing article in the Tombstone.”

  She swung the laptop around so we could all see it as well. There in living color was Sanders, smiling up from his table. Olive was more difficult to make out in the background, but she was there too.

  “How tall is he?” Lafitte asked.

  “Tall,” I said. “Six six, maybe.”

  He stared at his phone where he had the picture open. “And he’s a pretty big guy, too, right? Wide, I mean. But more round than muscle?”

  I wondered where he was going with this. “Yes.”

  “And his assistant? She’s a little harder to see.”

  “Petite in all ways. Short and slim.”

  Lafitte looked up. “During that three-hour nap you all took, I was wide awake. And I saw these two.”

  Everyone in the room swiveled to look at Lafitte.

  I’d never been as happy about the town’s vampire population as I was right now. “Where?”

  “I was patrolling the neighborhoods on the west side of town. Like most nights, there wasn’t much going on but I’d parked on Cauldron Lane to watch the Newtons’ house for a bit. They’re out of town. Anyway, I saw two people walking. I didn’t see their faces but based on the physical description, it was Sanders and Pine.”

  The sheriff’s gruff voice cut in. “What were they doing?”

  “Just out for a stroll from the looks of it.”

  I leaned in. “Was Luna with them? She’s a tall, slender woman who looks like Morticia Addams long-lost sister. She would have been in all black.”

  “Didn’t see anyone else—fitting that description or otherwise—but I was seeing them through the trees of the Newtons’ property line. They were two blocks away.”

  Gotta love that vampire eyesight. “What time was it?”

  Lafitte thought for a moment. “Seven thirty, give or take a few minutes.”

  I looked at Cooper. “It was a few minutes after seven when we fell asleep.”

  He nodded. “It was.”

  Greyson tapped his long fingers on the table. “Where would they have been going? Sanders had a dinner date with Luna at seven forty-five. Would Olive have walked him there?”

  I thought about that. “Maybe. I’m not sure. Where were they supposed to be eating?”

  Birdie started typing again. “I’m looking into that.”

  “I can help you there,” Greyson said. “I’m pretty sure they went to Café Claude. I gave Olive that recommendation at the shop. She seemed pretty receptive to it.”

  The sheriff stood. “If Sanders and Pine were out walking without Luna, it’s possible the plans had changed and he was meeting her somewhere else. Somewhere that wouldn’t have had the audience of Café Claude.”

  “Or,” I said, lifting my finger, “she could have already gotten control of Sanders’ hourglass in the scuffle at the apartment and been directing them with some kind of sleepwalking spell. Just because Deputy Lafitte didn’t see her doesn’t mean she wasn’t behind them, moving them along.”

  The sheriff looked at Lafitte. “What road were they on?”

  “Spellcaster. Headed north.”

  Sheriff Merrow nodded. “And if they’d kept going in a straight line—”

  “They would have ended up at the Black Rose,” Lafitte finished.

  My gut was telling me that wasn’t the right answer. Edna would have told Greyson if Luna had shown up with Tempus and Olive in tow.

  Just then, the chief’s radio squawked with a call. “Chief, come in.”

  Titus answered with the receiver on his shoulder. “I’m here.”

  “We have a potential kitchen fire at 1319 Sycamore and both engines are out at other calls.”

  “On my way. I have Sullivan with me.” He gestured at Cooper. “Let’s go.” Then he looked at the sheriff. “Sorry, Hank. It’s been a busy morning already. Lack of sleep is making people do stupid things. I’ll check in when this is handled.”

  “Thanks, Titus.”

  Cooper nodded at me. “See you later, Jay.”

  “Okay. Be careful.” As they left, I got to my feet to speak to the sheriff. “I assume you’re going to the Black Rose?”

  “Yes.” He pointed at Cruz. “Head there now and I’ll meet you in a few.”

  “You got it, boss.” Cruz gave us a short salute as he left.

  Greyson got up to stand beside me while I spoke to the sheriff. “Okay, while you and Cruz handle that, Greyson and I will go to Café Claude. Greyson has known Jacque Baptiste for years. We can find out if the date ever happened or not.”

  The sheriff hooked a thumb in his utility belt. “Good. Birdie, you keep doing what you’re doing, running down any possible places Luna might have taken our missing pair.”

  “I’m on it.” Birdie never looked up from the keyboard, even when she took a bite of her doughnut. “I have a call in to Lucien, too.”

  I whipped around to face her. “Birdie, that’s brilliant. I want to talk to him too. Actually, I think I’ll do that first. Let’s go see him.”

  Greyson frowned. “What? Why would you do that?”

  “Because if anyone ought to know how to find a reaper, it’s another reaper. You can take me to him. Or don’t. I know where he lives. We’ll call on Jacque after I see him. Birdie, you want to come with me?”

  She finally glanced up. “To see Lucien? Sure, I could say hi to Hattie.”

  “Good, let’s go.” I started for the door, knowing she’d follow me. She always did.

  “Hang on just a tick,” the sheriff said. “Birdie, you already have an assignment.”

  Greyson grabbed my hand. “And you’re not going there alone. I get that you want to find Sanders, but I don’t think Lucien is going to be able to help. Just because he and Luna are the same kind of elemental doesn’t mean they have some secret tracking ability on each other.”

  “No, but he’s more likely than anyone else to know where and how she might go to ground.”

  “That’s what I was thinking,” Birdie said. She was halfway around the table, her nephew’s words clearly falling on deaf ears.

  Greyson growled softly. “Lucien isn’t like anyone else. You know that already. You don’t just drop in on him.”

  Sheriff Merrow nodded. “Agreed. Let Birdie talk to him by phone. From here. Much safer.” He pointed at the laptop Birdie had just been working on. “Besides, you have research to do.”

  I stared at him. “You’re assuming he’s going to take her call. I’m assuming he won’t.”

  Birdie gave him a look, picked up her cell phone and started dialing. “We’ll see right now.”

  We stood there waiting until Birdie moved the phone closer to her mouth. “Hattie? Is Lucien there?” Birdie’s gaze lifted to us and she shook her head. “I understand. You have a good day.”

  She hung up. “He won’t come to the phone.”

  The sheriff sighed. “Fine. Cruz can handle the D&B and Greyson and I will go see Lucien.”

  Greyson relaxed. “That’s good. Let’s do that. He’ll definitely see me. But it can wait until Jayne and I check in with Jacque. I happen to know he’s in the restaurant at five a.m. every morning anyway to make the day’s bread. Lucien, on the other hand, is not even remotely a morning person. The fact that he’s been unable to sleep won’t have left him in a very good mood.”

  I snorted softly. “Is he ever in a good mood?”

  Greyson’s eyes narrowed. “My point exactly. Let’s go see Jacque.”

  I relented and on the way to Café Claude, I made Greyson call the restaurant to make sure Jacque was there. He was. And he was willing to take
a break from baking to talk to us. Probably because of Greyson, because while Jacque liked me, Greyson was one of his best friends.

  Jacque Baptiste was an incredible chef, but he was also a voyante, a kind of clairvoyant who sometimes got glimpses into the future. He’d had a vision about me once that had turned out to be spot on, so I was hoping he might have some insight into what was happening now, beyond whether or not Luna and Tempus had eaten dinner there.

  The front of the restaurant was dark, but there were lights on in the back where the kitchen was. The door was locked, so I rapped my knuckles gently on the glass.

  Greyson opened it. From the inside. I hadn’t even seen him break away from me. “How did you get in here?”

  “Back door. Jacque said he’d leave it open for me.”

  “Nice of him.” I walked in and he locked the door behind me. “Where is he?”

  “On the phone with his brother in France. He’ll be out as soon as he hangs up.”

  A minute later, the lights came on in the dining room and Jacque walked out from the back. “Jayne, good to see you.” He embraced me, kissing both my cheeks.

  “Thank you for letting us come by and interrupt your morning.”

  “Of course.”

  “Can I ask if you fell asleep last night between seven and ten?”

  “Oui!” He threw his hands up. “I was just speaking with my brother in Marseille about it. What a strange thing!”

  Greyson rocked back on his heels. “It was very strange indeed. What happened in the restaurant during that time?”

  Jacque sighed. “All my customers went to sleep too. As soon as we all woke up, they left and I sent most of my staff home, then I went home to check on Claude. He was fine.”

  Claude was his little dog and the café’s namesake. I looked around. The tables still held plates of unfinished food. “That explains the state of your dining room.”

  He threw his hands up and muttered a few words in French. “I cleaned the kitchen on my own, but that’s it so far. The bread had to be made. My staff is coming in early to help. They wanted to check on their families just like I wanted to make sure Claude was all right. I couldn’t say no.” He let out a long, heavy sigh. “But I had a dream while I was asleep. A vision.”

  This was what I’d been hoping for. “What was it, Jacque? Please tell me. I need to know if it can help me.”

  He shook his head slowly. “I don’t want to tell you, Princess. It is not a good thing.”

  Snowballs. I braced myself for the worst. “That’s okay, I just need to know. A very important man is in danger. A man who’s been a guest of mine. Well, a guest of the shop’s, but that makes him my responsibility.”

  Jacque’s brows lifted. “The Sandman? He was supposed to eat here, but he never did.”

  That cleared up one question, but I needed to know about Jacque’s vision more than anything else right now. “Yes, that’s who’s in danger, so please tell me, whatever you saw. It might help me save him before it’s too late.”

  Jacque’s breath hissed out between his teeth. “Princess Jayne, I saw death.”

  For a second, my heart stopped. Then I laughed. Jacque’s vision just confirmed what we already knew. “Of course you did. His ex-wife is a grim reaper. And we’re pretty sure she’s the one who’s kidnapped him. In fact, my next question is going to be if she showed up for the reservation last night.”

  “No, she did not,” Jacque said. “But the death I saw was not a person. It was a feeling.” He held his hands out in front of him like he was holding a big ball. “It surrounded everything. Like a shroud.”

  My heart stopped beating again. “Are you saying the Sandman was dead?”

  He hesitated. “Not in my vision. But what I saw was a narrow slice of time. And that time was running out.”

  Of course time was running out. Sanders was the Sandman. He could, in small increments, control time through sleep. Except maybe Luna controlled it now, if she had his hourglass. I understood why she might want to hurt Olive, but why would she want to do Sanders harm?

  Unless the whole I-still-love-you-and-want-to-get-back-together thing had been a big act. What if she just wanted revenge on him for breaking her heart?

  This whole thing was starting to smell worse than a wet yeti.

  “I have to find them and get them away from her now. If she hurts Olive or Sanders—or does something worse than just hurt them—the world will be in chaos. Can you imagine the Mistress of Nightmares in charge of everyone’s sleep?”

  Greyson put his hand on my arm. “We’ll figure this out. I’ll contact the Ellinghams and—”

  “Hang on,” I turned back to Jacque. “Sanders and Luna never arrived for dinner, correct?”

  Jacque shook his head. “They had a reservation, but they never showed. Never called to cancel either, but they weren’t alone. None of our reservations showed. The sudden sleep created havoc. I didn’t think anything of it.”

  “No, why would you?” I looked at Greyson. “Luna still could have met him here. And Olive certainly could have been with him. We already know she wasn’t asleep when everyone else was. Then Luna could have put them under her spell and marched them off to who knows where. Maybe tossed them into her car and driven away. That has to be what happened. They could be miles away by now. What does she drive, by the way?”

  “Black SUV. She pointed it out in the parking lot of the Black Rose when I walked her back there. She made a comment about how hard she thought it would be to find parking in town for a car that size. But if it happened that way, how do you explain the mess in the apartment?”

  I gave that a few more seconds of thought. “She went there after Sanders and Olive were incapacitated. She must have been looking for something. Maybe Sanders was smart enough not to bring his hourglass.”

  “Maybe. That would explain it.”

  I stared out the front windows. The daylight was almost painful on my tired eyes. “Someone had to have seen something.”

  “Not if they were asleep.”

  “Snowballs. I keep forgetting that. I guess we’re lucky Lafitte was on duty to see anything at all.” My phone buzzed. I pulled it out of my purse and checked the screen. A text from Cooper. “Excuse me a moment.”

  How’s it going?

  All right, I texted back. S & L never showed at the café.

  They could be farther away than we realize.

  I know. Where are you headed now?

  Back to the department with the chief to check in with Birdie.

  Ok. Let me know if anything new happens. I looked up at the two men in front of me. I wasn’t really sure what to do next. What I wanted to do was figure out where Luna had taken Sanders. But how? And I still needed to let my dad know what had happened, but I was dreading that so hard. “I should probably go back to the shop. I have to call my dad, and I’m at a dead end here.”

  “I’ll walk you,” Greyson said.

  “Okay.” I smiled at Jacque. “Thanks for seeing us. If you hear anything you think might help, or have another vision, please don’t hesitate to call me. Even if it’s not good news.”

  Jacque nodded. “Right away. Now I must return to my baguettes.”

  “See you soon.”

  He headed back to the kitchen.

  We went out the front door, passing one of Jacque’s servers. I was happy to see him. I hated to think of Jacque having to clean up the evening’s mess by himself.

  A block away from the restaurant, Greyson nudged me with his elbow. “You going to be all right at work today?”

  “I’ll be fine.” My anger would keep me awake.

  “You don’t sound fine. Is it just because you’re tired?”

  “No.” I chewed on the inside of my cheek, so frustrated I could spit. “Sanders and Olive are in this mess because they came here. They were my responsibility. I should have done something.”

  “Like what?” Greyson asked. “He might have been your guest at the store, but he’s als
o a grown man. It was his decision to re-engage with Luna.”

  “Yeah, but Olive told me not to trust Luna and now look.”

  “Seriously, what could you have done? Forbid him to go? You know that wouldn’t have worked. If anything, it might have made him angry. And he knew better than any of us what he was getting into.”

  “Maybe. But it doesn’t make me feel any better.” I huffed out a breath. “What am I going to do?”

  “We’ll find him.”

  “How? I’m at a loss.” I shoved a hand through my hair. I hated the feeling of helplessness.

  A soft buzz vibrated out of Greyson’s jacket.

  “Hang on.” Greyson stopped and stepped off to the side near a storefront. I went with him. He took his phone out and answered it. I leaned against him, putting my forehead on his shoulder while I listened to his side of the call. “Hello, Hugh. Yes, I know. No, it’s not a good situation.” A few breaths went by. “I figured he’d bring you up to speed. She’s with me now. Walking her back to the shop. No. No. I’ll keep you posted. Anything you can do to help would be great.”

  While he listened some more, I sighed into the fabric of his jacket. I knew someone had to have told the Ellinghams what was going on. They essentially owned the town and were about as powerful and influential as a family of vampires could be, but the truth was, no one was going to be able to help with this. This was beyond the scope of all of us.

  Worst of all, my father was going to freak, and my uncle was going to freak even more. Christmas Eve didn’t really happen without the Sandman’s help.

  Would they fire me? I hoped not. But I’d probably fire me. I’d at least place me on probation.

  Maybe I wasn’t cut out for this job. Maybe I should stick to being the Winter Princess. Go home to the North Pole and just accept I wasn’t ever going to be more than next in line for the Winter Throne.

  Okay, so that wasn’t exactly a small thing. The Winter Throne was a powerful position. We controlled winter, after all. But I loved this town. And this job. And the life I’d made here. Besides Cooper and Greyson, I had friends who didn’t let my royal status affect how they treated me.