The Pink Pumpkin Party

by Vella Day

  “Oh, they did.”

  He wasn’t making any sense.

  “Were they there to ditch all of Travis’ belongings?” Jaxson asked.

  “Maybe that had been their plan, but when they saw us, they attacked. Nash is seriously injured.”

  Oh, no.

  Chapter Eleven

  “How bad is Nash?” I asked.

  “Bad. I have gouges on my back and legs, but they are nothing like his injuries.”

  I never should have called Hunter. I had a suspicion these men were dangerous. “I am so sorry. This is all my fault.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “I should have come home and let the men go their merry way. It was the idea of them returning to wherever they came from without any punishment that made me want them stopped.”

  “You did the right thing in calling me. I’m thankful you and Jaxson didn’t follow them yourselves.”

  He didn’t need to state why. We might have ended up dead.

  “What happened to the men as a result of the battle?” Jaxson asked.

  “They sustained some injuries, but they are not nearly as bad as the two of us.”

  I thought both Hunter and Nash were great fighters. “How did they beat you?”

  I know that was a tacky thing to ask, but I had a suspicion about something and wanted it confirmed.

  “We were taken by surprise. Neither of us smelled a thing. The worst part was that they attacked us while we were in our human form. By the time we managed to shift—which was no easy feat—we’d lost a lot of our strength.”

  The three of us looked at each other, horror written on both Rihanna’s and Jaxson’s faces. “They have to be stopped,” I proclaimed, though I knew I wouldn’t be the one to do it.

  “We plan to try,” Hunter said.

  By we, I was guessing that meant Heather since Nash wouldn’t be fighting anytime soon. I could only hope that his assistant was a fierce fighter. “Where are you guys now?”

  “With Dr. Sanchez.”

  She was our medical examiner. “Why not go to the hospital?”

  “Glinda, Witch’s Cove isn’t ready for another animal attack. I already worry there will come a day when wolves are killed on sight—as in all wolves, including werewolves.”

  I, more than anyone, understood how horrible that would be. I was extremely thankful that my father was immune from shifting, but many others were not. “What can we do?”

  “Nothing for now. Steve is here with Nash. Don’t worry, he’ll figure something out.”

  But Steve lacked certain abilities that might help—like that of being a werewolf. “Did you see their faces at all?”

  “No. They were in their wolf form the whole time.”

  “Are they still in the woods, do you think?” Jaxson asked.

  “I have no idea. If I were them, I doubt that I would return to my house. We did scratch both of them pretty good. Those marks will be visible for a few days until their wolf has had time to heal them.”

  “Have you told Penny what happened?” I asked.

  “No. I’d rather she not see me for a few days until my wounds heal. You know her. She’d fall to pieces.”

  Sad to say, that was true. I know if anything happened to Jaxson or Rihanna, I’d be the same way. “I’ll say nothing—for now.”

  “Thank you. Look, I gotta go.”

  “Okay. Thanks for letting us know.”

  When he disconnected, my body was numb. “I can’t believe they were ambushed,” I said.

  Jaxson scooted next to me on the sofa and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “It seems that way. This could have been those werewolves’ plan all along.”

  “Their plan? How? They had no idea we’d find out where they lived or that we’d do some kind of stakeout and then have them followed.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe. It’s possible they made sure that Heather or Hunter saw them going into the woods and hoped they’d call Nash.”

  “That makes more sense to me,” Rihanna said.

  It did to me, too. “I wish we had some kind of infrared drone that could see their heat signature in the forest so we could find them.”

  “If we called in the military, I bet they’d have a drone to do what you want, but telling them we’re looking for two werewolves might cause them to lock us up in a psych ward,” Jaxson said.

  “You’re no help. Then what?”

  Rihanna’s cell rang. She picked it up and smiled. “It’s Gavin. Excuse me.”

  Gavin, huh? “Maybe he knows something.”

  “Glinda,” Jaxson said with a chastising tone.

  “What? It wouldn’t hurt to ask him.”

  Rihanna headed to her room. “I’ll try.” She swiped the phone. “Hey, Gavin.”

  As soon as she closed her door, we couldn’t hear anything. Darn. Chances were, he was with his mom in the morgue helping to take care of Nash and probably Hunter. I hoped the good doctor had supplies to help them. Considering all of her patients were dead, she might not have a stocked first aid kit. Or would she? She was a medical doctor.

  The one plus was that Steve and Nash had told her about werewolves a few months back.

  Iggy crawled between us. “Maybe I can find these werewolves,” he said. “Like I did the last time.”

  Jaxson picked him up and placed him on his lap. “We appreciate it, bud, but the forest is thousands of acres. They might even be on the move.”

  “They could be on their way back to Montana for all we know,” I tossed in.

  “Nope,” Iggy said. “Nash is still alive. They aren’t going anywhere until he’s dead.”

  How did he know? “That’s a terrible thought, but injuring Nash enough to teach him a lesson might be good enough for them.”

  He closed his eyes, as if to say end of discussion.

  “We’ve got to figure out a way to help Heather and Hunter find these guys,” I said.

  “To do that, we’d need a spell,” Jaxson suggested.

  “Yes, a spell that even Gertrude doesn’t know if it exists or not.”

  He waved a dismissive hand. “Bad idea. We should abandon that line of thinking.”

  I knew what was coming. “Why? Because it’s too dangerous? That the only way to do the spell is to be close to these guys, and if they sense me, they might take me out?”

  “Smart girl. Not only that, what if the spell is successful?”

  What if? Okay, to be fair, not all of my spells have worked. “Then Hunter and Nash, when he recovers, can follow them.”

  “And these men will be able to follow them back.”

  I didn’t like that. “They probably can do that now. How else did George and Tony even know that Nash and Hunter were in the forest?”

  “I’d be guessing, but they might have expected a tail. Who’s to say whether Hunter is any good at following discretely, or not?”

  “You might be right.”

  Rihanna’s bedroom door opened, and she came out. I tried to judge her mood, but I couldn’t. “What did Gavin say?”

  She sat down. “He was amazingly forthcoming.”

  “That’s great.”

  “For starters, the man who was mauled was Travis Knowlton.”

  That proved one thing: one of the three men from the party was dead. There was no proof his two cohorts were the werewolves who killed him though. “That’s good to know, but is Dr. Sanchez sure?”

  “Yes. If I understand the process correctly, she compared Travis’s driver’s license photo, along with the photo the sheriff took, to a photo of his face. It was really cool. She knows Photoshop.”

  “How did that help, considering his face was torn up?”

  “The short of it was she took a picture of his rather messed up face, and then superimposed it over each of the other good photos. The eyes, nose, and mouth lined up.”

  “That’s great.” I looked over at Jaxson. “Did he happen to mention if the facial injuries happened after death.”

&nbs
p; She held up a finger. “Yes, he did, and yes they were.”

  “That is good to know. It implies someone really didn’t want Travis’ identity known. Unless more werewolves are living in the forest, his two friends might have killed him.”

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Jaxson said. “It wasn’t that long ago that the clan who murdered Diamond Dirk were in the forest. Who’s to say they aren’t still there and are responsible? They might not like interlopers.”

  “You could be right. For the moment, I’m more interested in figuring out who killed Peter, and whether George and Tony are the men who attacked our two friends than learning if they killed Travis.”

  “I agree.”

  I turned back to Rihanna. “Did Gavin tell you how Hunter and Nash are doing? From the way Hunter sounded, he too, was injured pretty badly.”

  She nodded. “Hunter will live, but Dr. Sanchez says it’s touch and go for Nash. He’s not healing like he should.”

  My heart nearly burst. “I thought werewolves had super healing power.”

  “I wouldn’t know,” Rihanna said.

  “I’d ask my dad, but he might not know either.” Other than Nash, Hunter, and Heather, I didn’t know any other werewolves to ask. Even if Hunter’s new assistant said werewolves healed faster, what difference would it make?

  “Is there some kind of spell that would help him heal faster?” Jaxson asked.

  “A healing spell?” I asked. “I’ve never heard of one.”

  “What if these men are part warlock and put a curse on Nash and Hunter that prevent them from healing?” Rihanna asked.

  That thought churned my stomach. “What can we do if they did?”

  “Rihanna is onto something. What was done might be able to be undone. Get it? Levy or Gertrude might be able to help.”

  “There’s a better chance of finding something like that than me healing someone.”

  Jaxson stood and faced my cousin. “I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day. I’ll walk Glinda home, and then I’m going to spend the night here again.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Rihanna said. “Those men clearly aren’t after me or Levy. We’ve more or less proven they are werewolves.”

  Jaxson pointed a finger at her. “It’s the more or less part that worries me. Besides, I like being near both of you. Don’t forget, they could be part warlock.”

  I wasn’t going to argue with him. I, too, liked when Jaxson was near. “Works for me.”

  I gathered Iggy and then said goodnight to Rihanna. Once we left, I was still worried about Nash, but knowing that my cousin would be safe calmed me a bit.

  “Do you really think there is a spell that can cancel a curse that prevents healing?” I asked Jaxson.

  “I’m not the one to ask.”

  “Tomorrow, if Nash isn’t improving, I will certainly give Levy a call.” As usual, Jaxson escorted me upstairs to my apartment. “Do you want to come in for a drink?”

  He smiled and then ran a thumb down my cheek. “Another time, pink lady. I don’t want Rihanna to worry if I don’t return right away.”

  I could understand that. “Thank you.” I hugged him goodnight.

  “Sleep well.” He kissed the top of my head and then stepped back.

  As soon as he went downstairs, I headed inside.

  “Is Nash going to be okay?” Iggy asked, sounding rather worried.

  “I certainly hope so.”

  “Are you going to ask Gertrude or Levy about a spell to help Nash?”

  I couldn’t remember when my familiar had been this upset. My mind was too stressed out right now to wonder why. “As soon as I see for myself how he is doing, I’ll decide.” I thought I’d already mentioned that to Jaxson. Iggy must not have been paying attention. “I’m heading to bed.”

  “I want to talk to Aimee,” he said.

  I liked that he thought his cat girlfriend could help his anxiety, but I didn’t want the two of them disturbing Aunt Fern. “You can invite her over here if you’re going to chat.”

  “Okay.”

  No surprise, I didn’t sleep much, and I really needed to be clear headed today. The best thing I could do was eat a good breakfast, something I rarely took the time to do in the morning. Since it was quite early, I thought Dr. Sanchez’s office might not even be open—unless she’d received another body.

  Iggy said he’d head on over to the office when he felt like it. “Don’t forget, Jaxson might be downstairs working, and Rihanna is at school.”

  “I know, but most of the action happens there,” he said.

  He was right about that. I went downstairs and grabbed a table in Penny’s section. Aunt Fern was chatting with someone at the check-out counter. If I didn’t know better, it was almost as if nothing had happened, except that the decorations were still there—like the mannequins, the pumpkins, and the cemetery. The pumpkins might last a bit longer, but eventually they would rot. I needed to see about putting everything away—just not right now.

  Penny rushed over. “Hey. Hunter called and said Nash was in a fight?”

  I stilled. Did he fail to say he’d been there, too? I would have given her the details, but I didn’t want to rat him out. “Yes. I’m going to check on Nash right after this.”

  “Tell him I send my best.”

  “I will.”

  Before she could ask any more questions I didn’t want to answer, I ordered some pancakes with a side of fruit. “And coffee, of course.”

  She smiled. “I’ll bring plenty of cream and sugar.”

  Penny knew me well. Right after my friend delivered my breakfast, Aunt Fern came over. “Pearl got back to me.”

  I wasn’t sure what the last thing was I’d asked her. “Great. What did she say?”

  “The three men, Travis Knowlton, George Fredericks, and Tony DeLorenzo were wearing Batman, Olaf, and Darth Vader costumes when Steve took their picture.”

  “Tell her thank you. I remember checking in an Olaf, but not the other two, though we saw a lot of people.”

  She stepped closer. “You heard about Nash and Hunter, right?” I was thankful she kept her voice down for a change.

  “Yes. I’m heading over to Dr. Sanchez’s office as soon as I finish eating.”

  “I heard it’s bad.”

  My appetite disappeared. “That was this morning?”

  “Yes. Nash’s animal isn’t healing him.”

  Hunter must have explained that it would by now. “Rihanna suggested that someone might have put a curse on Nash that prevented him from healing.”

  She sucked in a breath. “That’s terrible.”

  “I know. I want to see if Gertrude or Levy can help.”

  My aunt squeezed my shoulder. “I’m so glad they have you looking out for them.”

  I hoped that would be a benefit instead of another curse.

  Chapter Twelve

  I gently knocked on Dr. Sanchez’s door before entering her office, but she wasn’t there. If Nash, and possibly Hunter were somewhere close by, where would that be? I’d never explored the morgue to know if there were other rooms.

  I stepped into the hallway. “Hello?”

  No answer. Where were they? Had Nash flatlined or something, and Dr. Sanchez had to take him to the Emergency Room? I shivered at that thought. I had the doctor’s number. While I didn’t want to disturb her, I wanted to learn how Nash was doing. After some indecision, I called her.

  “Glinda?” she answered.

  “Yes. How are Nash and Hunter?”

  “Hunter should be okay, but Nash is unconscious.”

  My soul nearly squeezed out of me. “I need to see him.”

  She hesitated. “That’s not a good idea.”

  I had to make her understand. “I have no proof, but it’s possible the werewolves who attacked Nash and Hunter put a curse on them—or at least on Nash.” I honestly didn’t know if a curse could be directed at only one person if someone else was close by—someone like Hunt
er.

  “A curse to do what?” she asked with disbelief in her voice.

  “To prevent them from healing.”

  “Glinda. As a woman of science, I find curses very hard to believe.”

  “I get it, but as a woman of science, I bet you never thought werewolves existed either, right?”

  Her breathing increased, but she said nothing for a moment. “You’re right.”

  “I’m sure Hunter told you that werewolves have an amazing ability to heal themselves.”

  “He told me that,” she said. “So far, I haven’t seen any evidence of it.”

  “That’s because if there is a curse on these men, they won’t be able to heal.”

  “Then you might be right about there being a curse.”

  “Do you think I could talk to Hunter for just a minute? I want to find a way to cancel this spell, though there are no guarantees something like a reversal even exists. I need some information.”

  “Fine, but you can’t stay long.”

  A bit of hope trickled in. “Of course. Where are they?”

  “They are at my house.” She gave me her address, and I entered it into my phone.

  “I’m on my way.”

  I texted Jaxson to let him know my status. If there had been a lot of time, I might have spoken to Gertrude first, but I wanted to ask Hunter some questions before I wasted anyone’s time.

  Once outside, I hopped in my car and headed over to Dr. Sanchez’s house, which was only about ten minutes from her office. Even before I slipped out of my car, she had opened the front door. I rushed up the driveway to greet her.

  Dr. Sanchez held up a hand. “I need to warn you that Nash’s leg is badly injured and is not pleasant to look at. You need to be prepared not to show horror—for Hunter’s sake.”

  An unconscious Nash wouldn’t know, but for Hunter’s sake, I would try. “I’ve seen my share of mangled dead bodies, but when it’s someone who’s alive, I can only promise to do my best.”

  She nodded. I followed the doctor past the living room and kitchen to a hallway. She lightly tapped on a closed door and then pushed it open. Hunter was in one bed, half his body propped up, while Nash was pale, and his arms and legs were heavily bandaged. It was clear from the color of his face and the severity of the other exposed wounds that this man was on borrowed time. My heart nearly broke.