Fur-boding Shadows

by Harper Lin

  “What was her response to your call?” Bea asked.

  “Just a sigh and a promise that she’d find her sister and bring her down as soon as possible. But she told us that Evelyn had the tendency to stay out for days at a time. But she always came back when she was hungry or cold,” Blake added.

  I couldn’t help it. My gut was telling me this just wasn’t right. I thought about that girl at the funeral. She sat next to her father with tears running down her cheeks. She looked at her mother’s body. She didn’t shy away or look everywhere else. She looked at the corpse in the casket without hesitation. I had to find her. From what I could see, everyone around was against her. They all had her pinned, and I thought it was only because of the way she looked. I thought that was terribly unfair. Especially since she was just a kid.

  “I wonder why the older daughters didn’t spring for a real casket.” I let the words out without thinking.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I heard one of them was a doctor and the other was a vet. Together, they could have probably come up with six thousand dollars. There was probably life insurance too, right?”

  “If the mother wanted to be cremated, there was no reason to buy a casket,” Jake said.

  I shrugged. He was right about that.

  “We’d better get to the café,” Bea said as she pulled off her apron. “Mom is going to think we are playing hooky.”

  “Mind if I leave Treacle here today? He said he was feeling a little under the weather and wanted some company.”

  “He said he was feeling under the weather?” Blake looked at me with surprise.

  I had forgotten myself. The guy was always around. He was like a permanent fixture, like a lamp or a weird candy dish.

  “Of course he can stay here.” Bea slid in to catch my foul. “Don’t pay any attention to Cath, Blake. She loves that cat so much I swear they really can communicate.” She giggled and took me by the hand as we headed toward the front door.

  Bea called her I love yous and goodbyes to Jake and told them both there was food in the fridge if they got hungry before slamming the door shut behind us.

  “That was close,” I muttered. “What was I thinking?”

  “You weren’t,” Bea teased. “But I don’t think he’s any the wiser.”

  “So, do you think that Evelyn did this gruesome thing to her mother’s body?”

  “Well, it doesn’t look good for her if she was the last one with the body,” Bea said. “But I have reservations.”

  “What are they?” I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I wasn’t the only one who thought pointing the finger at Evelyn was just too convenient.

  “When we were at the funeral, I didn’t get a sense of malicious intent from her. There was sorrow, of course, but…”

  “But what?”

  “I could sense a strong hatred. Really strong.”

  “Are you sure it was from Evelyn? And are you sure it wasn’t just a hatred for the situation and not directed at a specific person?”

  “See, that’s where I’m not sure. It was floating around, but for the life of me, I couldn’t pinpoint it. Funeral homes can be difficult because there is so much activity at times that, for all I know, I could have been picking up on a aura that had passed through the place a week ago.”

  “So after all is said and done, we are really right back where we started with a whole lot of guessing and no real evidence.” I didn’t want to tell Bea about what Treacle had uncovered. “Maybe Marie Elderflower just died from complications due to dementia.”

  The wind had died down from the night before. As Bea and I walked to the café, we could see our breath through our scarves, and our shadows were crisp on the sand-colored sidewalk. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw something coming up to us, but when I looked, there was nothing there.

  Just before we made it to the café, I was sure someone was racing up to catch the door, but when I looked, no one was there. I shrugged it off as just the bright sun overhead playing tricks on me. It was a beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky. That meant the temperature would drop a little more. Sunny days were always the coldest. Funny how something so pleasant-looking could be the most dangerous.

  8

  E.E

  After opening the café and serving the handful of patrons who stopped in before work, Bea and I filled in Aunt Astrid on everything Jake and Blake had told us. She listened intently. When we finished, Bea and I stood back, folded our arms, and waited.

  “So,” I piped up. “What should we do?”

  “The first thing we need to do is find out what the ritual is that cuts off toes and leaves things inside the space,” Aunt Astrid suggested. “I have a book, the Rites of the Dead, down in the bunker.”

  “I’ll go get it,” Bea offered and trotted off to the practically invisible door that led to our secret plotting, planning, and scheming room.

  We’d had no idea the room was even there. Had the Brew-Ha-Ha not almost burned to the ground a while back, it would still be hidden. Now, it was adorned with a pretty area rug, a fridge, snacks, tea, and several of Aunt Astrid’s favorite “cookbooks.”

  Just as Bea yelled that she found the book, the tinkling of bells went off. I turned around to see none other than Evelyn Elderflower. She was standing there with another person in equally gothic attire. The handful of customers stared at them.

  “Hi,” I said happily. “Evelyn, right?”

  She nodded and fought not to smile too brightly.

  “Have a seat, honey. Would you guys like some coffee?”

  Again, Evelyn nodded without saying anything. She and her friend snuck to a quiet table for two in the corner away from the window. Everyone’s eyes were on them until they sat down and started whispering, as young ladies their age always did.

  I filled two cups and brought them over, making sure not to treat the girls as if they were girls but rather paying customers I’d seen a million times.

  “I’m glad you stopped in,” I said as I placed the cups in front of them.

  “It doesn’t look like your customers are,” Evelyn snapped, looking at everyone who had turned to look at her and sticking out her tongue.

  “I think they’ll all survive your visit. You guys want something to eat?”

  They both declined, but I wanted to get them to stay as long as possible. Like luring a scared dog that had seen the crueler side of humans, I went to the counter and picked out a couple of things for them to share. One thing teenagers rarely turned down was food. Especially sweets.

  “Here. Try these.” I set down a plate filled with brownie bites, two blueberry muffins, and some sliced honey crisp apples.

  “Um, we don’t have any money for this,” Evelyn whispered. She looked at her friend with embarrassment.

  “It’s on the house,” I whispered back.

  That was it. That was all it took. There it was. A smile.

  “Can you stay for a little while? I’d like to talk to you.”

  Taking a big bite of blueberry muffin, Evelyn nodded.

  I walked back behind the counter and made sure that Evelyn could see I wasn’t talking about her to Aunt Astrid. When Bea came up with the book, she saw Evelyn chatting with her friend and immediately went toward the phone.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Calling Jake to tell him Evelyn Elderflower is here.”

  “No, you’re not.” I gently took the phone from her hand and put it back on the cradle.

  “Why?” she asked. “You heard him this morning. He wants to talk to her about what she did.”

  “Do you really think she did that?” I asked quietly.

  Bea looked from me to Evelyn and back again. She picked up the coffee pot and made the rounds. When she got to Evelyn and her friend, she placed a hand on Evelyn’s shoulder.

  “Are you warming up? It’s bitter cold out there,” Bea said pleasantly.

  “I think it’ll take a little longer f
or my toes to thaw,” her friend said.

  “Yeah, combat boots look warm, but I think these were made for the desert,” Evelyn said as she showed Bea her clunky footwear.

  Bea chuckled and came back to the counter.

  “So?” I asked as I folded more Valentine’s napkins for our to-go customers.

  “There’s nothing there.” Bea was trembling.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Either that girl has not a single emotion inside her, or someone or something is preventing me from observing it.” Bea nervously bit her bottom lip.

  “Are you saying she’s like a sociopath?” I asked.

  “No. Even they have some kind of aura. I’m saying this little girl is in trouble either by her own hand or by the hand of someone else. I’m afraid she’s opened a door to something she doesn’t understand and it’s hurting her without her even knowing. I’ve got to call Jake.”

  “Don’t do that.” Aunt Astrid stood up from her table and pushed herself past us to grab a glass and the pitcher of water. “We’ve got bigger issues to address.”

  Neither Bea nor I knew what Aunt Astrid was talking about until we turned around.

  “There you are!” It was Fern and Gail Elderflower. They were fit to be tied. “Get your coat on! We’re leaving!”

  “Excuse me, ladies.” Aunt Astrid quickly placed her body between the sisters and Evelyn. “Is there a problem? Normally, people don’t come into the café, yelling.”

  “Well, normally, we don’t have the police looking for our delinquent sister, but this morning, we do,” Gail snapped at Aunt Astrid.

  I looked at Evelyn. All the pale makeup in the world couldn’t hide the humiliation she was feeling. Her cheeks were bright red. Her eyes were beginning to fill with tears as she stood from the table.

  “Don’t start with the waterworks,” Gail ordered. “It isn’t going to work.”

  “Just get your coat and get in the car,” Fern added.

  “Why don’t you ladies calm down and have a cup of tea.” Bea reached out to touch Fern but soon regretted it.

  “Don’t touch me!” she hissed. “I don’t know who you are, but this is a family matter! Evelyn, let’s move!”

  Thrusting her hands deep in the pockets of her long black coat, Evelyn stared down at the floor. She pushed past Aunt Astrid and her sisters. Her friend meekly got up to leave too.

  Evelyn’s push against the door was so hard I gasped for fear it would break. We’d just gotten it fixed after the giant hairless cat of Christmas attacked. But that was a story for another time.

  Aunt Astrid stared at the Elderflower girls. I tried to see what she was seeing, but something big moved out of the corner of my eye. When I looked, there was nothing there. When I looked back, the sisters were staring at me.

  “Care for some coffee to go?” I said.

  “Look, our sister is nothing but trouble. You obviously think that’s cute. Well, you’ll learn soon enough when she brings you nothing but trouble. Mark my words. You’ll learn soon enough.”

  They stomped out of the café like soldiers looking for a traitor.

  The people in the café let out their breaths and began talking about the scene that had just unfolded.

  I looked at my aunt and cousin. “What do you think of that?” I asked.

  “I think we have a bigger problem than we thought,” Aunt Astrid said quietly as she began stacking her receipts. “You were right, Cath. It’s not Evelyn at all.”

  “Really? You don’t think so?” I sighed as I walked over to the table the two girls were at and began to clean up. That was when I found it. A note. Quickly, I brought it over to Bea and my aunt.

  “Meet me at the Night Owl Café tonight. Midnight. E.E.”

  “Did she write that before or after her sisters arrived?” Bea asked.

  “I bet after,” I said.

  “How is she going to meet you if they take her to the police and Jake holds her? He won’t let us talk to her there. It could get him in trouble.”

  “I have a feeling Evelyn has slipped away from her sisters more than once. She’s probably planning on doing the same thing again,” I replied.

  I was never so excited for midnight to come in my life. The only bad thing was that Tom had decided to come by after his seven-to-eleven shift.

  “You’re going to the Night Owl Café to meet someone?” He looked suspicious and hurt. “Why?”

  “Because the person asked me to. It’s that simple,” I said as I wrapped my scarf around my neck a couple times.

  “And why can’t I go with you?”

  “Because it will look suspicious,” I answered plainly.

  “To whom?”

  I stopped before swinging my coat around to slip my arms inside.

  “Do you think I’m going to meet a dude?” I asked.

  Tom shrugged and stuffed his hands into his front jeans pockets.

  “I’m flattered you think anyone else would be interested in me. But I think you are the only one with enough brain damage to want to hitch your wagon to my star.”

  “Then you don’t mind if I come with you?” He took a step closer. After all the things Tom had been through with me, there was no way I could say no now. He accepted my family and me and everything that came with it.

  “If it will put your mind at ease,” I said, stepping a little closer to him. “But would you mind staying in the car while I go in?”

  “Why?”

  “If she sees a cop with me, she might freak.”

  “Whoever this is doesn’t want to see any police? Cath, is this person dangerous?”

  “That’s the thing. Everyone thinks she is, but she’s not. She’s just a kid.” I swallowed hard. “It’s Evelyn Elderflower. She needs my help.”

  Tom looked surprised. He stepped forward and took hold of the lapels of my coat. With his thumb, he brushed over the bright-green brooch that was there.

  “Then let’s go help her.”

  9

  Gone Again

  The Night Owl Café was reviewed in the local paper as a rustic lounge with books along the walls. The novels, ranging from The Tropic of Capricorn to Fifty Shades of Grey, were for the patrons to read at their leisure while sipping hot coffee or tea. It used to be known for a fantastic shepherd’s pie, but an entrepreneur who catered to the younger crowd bought the place and made it much more rustic compared to the Brew-Ha-Ha. Food selections were now limited to frozen pizza or ramen noodles. Cheap eats were an attraction for the high school and college crowds. Open poetry nights were also a crowd pleaser.

  “This is like a dirtier, slummy version of the Brew-Ha-Ha.” Tom winced as he pulled his truck up to the curb. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?”

  “At this hour, there are mostly college kids inside. It’s not a biker bar. I’ll be all right,” I said as I unclicked my seat belt.

  “How long am I supposed to sit here all by myself?”

  “I won’t be long. I promise.” I kissed Tom’s cheek then climbed out of his truck. I could hear experimental jazz music coming from inside. As soon as I pulled the door open, I was hit by the smell of patchouli and pizza.

  As much as I hated the competition, I couldn’t help but admire the elaborate lights hanging from the ceiling. They looked as though they’d been snagged from the set of some Dario Argento film. Rich red, green and yellow vintage swag hanging lights gave the place a soft, soothing glow.

  Bulky velvet couches and armchairs filled the floor. A bar stretched across the far-right wall, where patrons sat on mismatched bar stools, sipping their java. Coffee tables and end tables also had thrift-store lamps on them, and there were worn-out Persian rugs on the floor. Bookshelves lined the walls. From where I was standing, I could see the categories written on pieces of cardstock that had long ago started to curl at the edges. Fiction. Nonfiction. History. Current Events. Sci-fi. Romance. All the usual suspects, along with a few exotics like an entire section of Idiot’s Guides and an
other of encyclopedias from the 1970s. Of course, there was an extensive occult section. I shuddered to think of what nonsense was being passed around in the books here. Before I could go peruse the titles, I saw a familiar pale face. Evelyn Elderflower waved to me. Her nails were black, and she had huge clunky rings on each finger.

  “How did you manage to get away from your sisters?” I asked. I had to maneuver around a huge, cushy loveseat with two Goth kids sitting in it. They looked at me the same way everyone at the Brew-Ha-ha had looked at Evelyn that morning.

  “It wasn’t easy.” She scooted over and made room for me on the couch.

  “Do you want to go somewhere to talk?” I asked.

  “Why? What’s wrong with this place?” Her attitude was starting to creep up.

  “Not a thing. So, what did you want to talk to me about?”

  She nervously looked around.

  “Evelyn, you’re safe with me here.”

  “Ha.” She snickered, blowing smoke from her nostrils. “You don’t see them, do you?”

  “See who?”

  She shook her head, making her long black hair wave across her face.

  “My mother.”

  “You can see your mother?” I was surprised to say the least.

  “No, stupid.” She snickered. “I’m trying to tell you about my mother. Everyone thinks she was a mental case. They say she had dementia or suffered from schizophrenia. My mother was as sane as you and me sitting here.”

  It felt as if I were treading on thin ice. Should I tell Evelyn what I had heard from Aunt Astrid about Marie Elderflower? Was it smart to tell her anything about what Jake and Blake had said? This was one of those rare occasions I decided to keep my mouth closed.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” she continued. “You’ve heard the stories about the cops coming to the house and my mom getting violent. Traipsing around in the backyard in the middle of the night. Her obsession with lights and candles.”

  “I’m sorry, Evelyn. I don’t really know anything about your family,” I answered quietly, as if I were talking to a little bird that might fly away with any sudden movements. “My aunt knew your mom a little. She said they met at the library and had a lot in common. She said your mother had a wonderful sense of humor.”