Secrets and Specters

by Raven Snow

  “She said you need to stop eating crap from gas stations or something.”

  He rolled his eyes. “And that sounds like her.” He opened the bag, releasing the tantalizing smell of breakfast meats into the library. “Want some?” he asked, angling the bag at Dom.

  Dom didn’t have to be asked twice. He grabbed some bacon. Otsuya leaned across the counter. “Can I have some?”

  Crispin angled the bag at her next. “You know, Ms. Poole asked you if you wanted something,” Lady reminded her.

  Otsuya only shrugged, taking out a piece of bacon for herself. “I wasn’t hungry then.”

  “Whatever.” Lady went around the desk and sat in the rolling chair that no one was using. “Hey, did anything big happen over the last couple days or so?”

  “Huh?” Crispin looked to Lady. He was still holding the bag, though he hadn’t actually eaten anything out of it. Dom and Otsuya meanwhile were splitting the biscuit into thirds. “What do you mean?”

  Lady shrugged. Even she wasn’t entirely sure what she was looking for. “I dunno. Ms. Poole went out with Al last night. You know, Ms. Comfrey? She said it was because her son was busy at work.”

  “Conners?” asked Dom.

  “Yeah, does she have any other sons?” Lady leaned back in the chair. “I was wondering if something happened. Was there, like, a big heist or a murder or something?”

  “A heist?” Otsuya laughed around a mouthful of breakfast sausage. “In Dark Lake?”

  “Sure, why not?” Lady didn’t see how that was so unreasonable. “Murders happen here. Why not heists?”

  “What is there to heist?” asked Otsuya, though the question seemed rhetorical.

  “I haven’t heard anything,” said Dom. He glanced to Crispin.

  Crispin shook his head. “I haven’t either. If something happened, it hasn’t been in the papers.” He pointed to the corner of the library where all the newspapers were archived. “Did Ms. Poole say something happened?”

  “No, she just said that Al said her son was busy.” Lady sighed. She couldn’t get answers for anything anywhere. “I think she also said it wasn’t any of my business.”

  “She’s not wrong,” muttered Dom.

  Lady ignored Dom and changed the subject. “I see you’ve been putting that money you got to good use.”

  Crispin’s face lit up with a smile. “You saw the new filing system? Isn’t it amazing?”

  “It sure is.” Lady didn’t want to rain on his parade. He looked about twice as excited as Otsuya had been. “You, ah… You do have money left over, right?”

  That got a raised eyebrow from Crispin. “I do,” he said, his tone measured. “Dom here wants me to spend it on more employees, but… I don’t know.”

  “Oh, come on.” Dom sounded exasperated, like he thought he had won an argument and was only now finding out he hadn’t. “We talked about this.”

  “Yes, and I’m still not sure it’s the best way to spend a finite amount of money. It would only be a stopgap until I got better funding. If this is about you needing time away from the library—”

  “That’s not it.” Dom shook his head. “You know what? Never mind. Just, never mind. We’ll talk about this later. Again.”

  Crispin rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. He reached into the bag Lady had given him only to come back with his hand empty. Otsuya and Dom had already eaten it all.

  Chapter Three

  Lady ended up going home alone. Otsuya was busy doing something in the backroom of the library when she left. She had heard a crash behind closed doors and hadn’t much wanted to open one and check. “I need to go back to the inn,” she had said, raising her voice instead. “See you later tonight.”

  Lady didn’t dare keep Ms. Poole waiting too long. As tempting as it was to ignore her duties for the foreseeable future, it wasn’t exactly doable. She would be in a lot of trouble if she didn’t come home until late in the afternoon.

  It was more walking than Lady had planned on doing today. She needed a car. Not that she had the money for one, or a license for that matter. She had relied on the kindness of others and buses for most of her life.

  At least the walk back was a lot warmer. The sun was overhead and obscured by clouds. She had taken off her hoodie and tied the sleeves around her waist by the time she stepped through the front door of the inn. “I’m back!” she announced.

  “We’re in the sitting room!” came the reply.

  We? Lady walked across the lobby and then across the inn’s dining room with its long wooden table and cabinets full of china. Lion was at her heels as she entered the sitting room. Ms. Poole was in a rocking chair next to the unlit fireplace. Across from her sat Conners. He looked very much like a hardboiled television detective, the kind that had a drinking problem but a heart of gold. His hair was dark and shaggy and there was perpetual stubble on his chin. He didn’t look much like a chief of police. Heck, today he was looking more grizzled than usual. There were dark circles under his eyes, Lady noted as she got closer. He was a big guy with broad shoulders and a built frame. He looked like he’d lost some weight, though. There was a certain gauntness to his cheeks that hadn’t been there the last time she had seen him.

  “It’s been a while.” Conners nodded in Lady’s direction.

  Lady nodded back. “Good to see you.”

  “Pull up a chair.” Ms. Poole pointed to the other rocker a few feet away.

  Lady did as she was told. Her feet were aching after the long walk and getting off of them felt good. “What’s up?” Lady moved her hands as Lion jumped into her lap. She placed them back down once he was settled, stroking his fur.

  Conners looked from Lady to Ms. Poole. It didn’t look like he had expected her to be invited in on their conversation. He had probably planned on speaking with Ms. Poole and Ms. Poole alone. “Ah…” he began awkwardly. “Well…”

  “Conners here has been having nightmares,” Ms. Poole said for him. She said it like it was a perfectly normal thing to come over and talk with someone about, like he had come over to borrow a cup of flour. Not that Lady had ever in her life known someone to actually knock on a door and ask for a cup of flour.

  “Nightmares?” Lady repeated, watching Conners. “What kind of nightmares?”

  Conners didn’t say anything at first. His mouth remained slightly agape, like he was trying to come up with what to say. “Bad ones,” he said finally.

  “Well, I figured that.” Why else would he come to Ms. Poole’s house? “What are the dreams about?”

  Conners hesitated again. “I don’t know that they’re about anything.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Conners shrugged. “It’s just a… I don’t know. They’re about a man, I guess.”

  A man. Lady wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do with that information. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do about any of this. Her being part of the conversation didn’t make much sense. “Ah. Well, that sucks,” she said, unhelpfully. The nightmares explained the dark circles, why he looked so tired. Were they also responsible for the weight loss? That must be a heck of a nightmare.

  “Yeah,” said Conners. “It does suck.”

  “So why are you here?” Lady wasn’t trying to be rude. She genuinely didn’t get it. Dreams weren’t Ms. Poole’s specialty. She was a witch, sure, but witches in Dark Lake all seemed to have specialties. Ms. Poole’s specialty, aptly enough, was water.

  Conners’ face had gone a little red behind the stubble. He believed in magic. His mother was a witch. That didn’t mean he was comfortable around it. Lady didn’t blame him. She wasn’t exactly comfortable around it yet either. “My mother suggested I come here,” he said, sheepishly.

  “Althea keeps going on about it,” said Ms. Poole, a frown on her face. There was usually a frown on her face. “I told her to send him over here, and I’d see what I could do.”

  “I don’t want to be any trouble,” Conners muttered, face still a little red. He was
stiff, shoulders hunched as he sat awkwardly in his wicker chair. He was a little too big for it.

  “You’re not any trouble,” Ms. Poole assured him, though it sounded unconvincing. “This is a good learning experience. Tell Lady here everything you just told me.”

  “Huh?” Conners looked from Lady to Ms. Poole again. This clearly wasn’t what he had signed up for.

  “Go on,” urged Ms. Poole. “Lady here is my student. She should be involved in these sorts of dealings.”

  “It’s just bad dreams.”

  “And you wouldn’t have come here if you didn’t think there was something that could be done that would fall into my wheelhouse.” Ms. Poole pointed out, her frown lines growing ever so slightly deeper. “You’re looking for a magical fix, and that’s the sort of thing Lady should be learning as my apprentice.”

  Apprentice. Lady liked that word. It made her feel important, like she was destined for great things rather than being just some girl who worked a not so glamorous job at an inn.

  “Fine.” Conners shook his head and sighed, mildly exasperated. “There’s not a whole lot to tell,” he said, looking back to Lady. “I’ve been having these dreams that… Well, I’ve had them before. It’s this recurring nightmare I have. Usually, it wakes me up, I realize it was a dream, and I roll over and go back to sleep. No big deal. Except, lately when I wake up…” He trailed off. He linked and unlinked his fingers, like the part that came next wasn’t something he much wanted to talk about. “Lately, when I wake up, there’s someone there.”

  Lady waited a few seconds for Conners to elaborate. When he didn’t, she pressed him. “What do you mean someone’s there?”

  “Just what I said. Someone’s there.” He shook his head and stepped back a little. “I mean, I don’t think they’re really there. What’s happening isn’t supernatural. I looked it up online. It happens with sleep paralysis and night terrors. Sometimes when someone wakes up they’re still… They’re still kind of dreaming, you know?”

  Lady thought on that. She hadn’t experienced it firsthand, but she was pretty sure she had heard about it. “I’ve heard of people seeing, like, shadowy figures, I guess.”

  Conners nodded. “Right. Like that. Exactly like that, actually. This guy I’ve been seeing is all shadowy. I can’t see anything specific about him. It’s just a dark shape. Logically, I know it’s a dream, but when it happens it’s… Well, it’s disarming.”

  “Sounds scary.” Lady wouldn’t be getting much sleep either if she was waking up every night to a shadowy presence in her room. “I guess you can’t just roll over and go back to sleep after that happens, huh?”

  “I wish.” Conners rubbed the heel of his hand across his eyes like there was still sleep in them. “No. It’s bad. I’m hardly sleeping anymore, and we’re getting behind at work because of it. My officers are… Well, let’s just say that I can’t depend on them to pick up the slack.”

  Lady had seen the Dark Lake police station. It wasn’t exactly operating like a well-oiled machine. The words, ‘inept’ and ‘bumbling’ came to mind, though Lady wouldn’t say them out loud. It felt too mean, like calling a baby ugly. Poor things. They were doing their best. They couldn’t help it.

  “Okay.” Lady looked to Ms. Poole when everyone lapsed into silence. It felt like she was expected to say something, but she wasn’t sure what. “So, what are you going to do about it?”

  Ms. Poole shook her head. “I’m not going to do anything about it.”

  This was, apparently, news to Conners. “Okay,” he said, shifting his weight forward and onto his feet. “Sorry for wasting your time.” The way he spoke with a sigh suggested he was more annoyed that she had wasted his time.

  Ms. Poole didn’t tell him to sit back down. She merely raised her hand. “I didn’t say I couldn’t help you.” She nodded to Lady. “You should stay with him for a night or two.”

  The suggestion Ms. Poole had just made was so out there that Lady couldn’t respond at first. She gawked at her boss, speechless. “What?” she managed after a solid five seconds of silence. Even Lion had perked up, raising his head like he had understood what she just said.

  “I don’t know enough about what’s going on to be of much help. If something as simple as a satchel of herbs was all you needed, your mother would have made you one,” Ms. Poole went on.

  Conners didn’t look thrilled about where the conversation was headed, but he nodded anyway. “She’s made me several.”

  “So, something else is going on. I need information you can’t give me. Going and staying with you myself is out of the question. I have an inn to run.”

  “Why doesn’t he just stay at the inn?” Lady motioned vaguely at their surroundings. “I mean, that’s what this place is for. People sleep here. Why can’t he?”

  “It isn’t his normal environment. Better that he’s in his own bed, experiencing the sort of night he normally does.”

  Lady wasn’t sure she bought that. “Sleep clinics don’t usually make house calls, do they? Is it really that big of a difference?”

  Ms. Poole pursed her lips. “It wouldn’t hurt if you got out of here for a day or two. I wasn’t going to say anything, but you’ve gotten yourself on Doyle’s bad side. I know what you did, girl.”

  A chill ran through Lady’s body. She didn’t deny what had happened. What was the point? Everyone already knew, apparently. Man, she really was bad at snooping. “Um… Am I… Am I in trouble?”

  “Not as much trouble as you should be in.”

  “Hold on.” Conners raised a hand, silencing the both of them. “Let me get this straight. Is Lady being sent home with me as a punishment?”

  “I’m sending her with you in hopes that she can help,” Ms. Poole corrected. “And no. It’s not a punishment. It’s just not a bad idea to have her out of the inn while Doyle cools down.”

  “And how’s she supposed to help? No offense, Lady.”

  “None taken.” Lady didn’t know how she was supposed to help either.

  “She’ll see what she sees and report back to me,” said Ms. Poole, like it should be the most obvious thing in the world.

  Lady wasn’t sure what she was supposed to see. She had seen a lot of strange things in Dark Lake during her short time here. Maybe she would see something. Lady looked to Conners. In the end, it was up to him whether or not she stayed at his place.

  “I don’t have much room,” said Conners.

  “That’s fine. Lady doesn’t take up much room.” Ms. Poole stood. “I’ll see if I can’t find you a sleeping bag.” With that decided, she left the room.

  Conners sighed. “This isn’t what I thought I was getting into,” he grumbled. “Though, if it helps, who am I to complain? I can’t take much more of things staying the way they have been.”

  “I’ll help if I can,” Lady assured him. She hoped she could help. It wasn’t just because she wanted to do her job and impress Ms. Poole. She kind of liked Conners. He seemed like a good guy. He wasn’t someone she would wish misfortune on. “So, uh… This living situation of yours. Does it allow for cats?”

  Chapter Four

  Lady wondered how Otsuya would take it when she realized Lion wasn’t at home. Something told her Otsuya was better friends with the cat than anyone. Lady going away for a few days was one thing. Lion leaving was something else entirely.

  Conners stopped on the way to his place so that Lady could buy some of the necessities. She didn’t want to bring the litter box from the inn, so she bought one of those, some litter, and a few toys to keep Lion occupied. He was well-behaved, but he did get bored easily. Otsuya had him spoiled with all the toys she had gotten for him.

  “Don’t let anyone see you bring him in,” Conners warned. “I’m not supposed to have any pets.”

  “Oooh, me and a policeman breaking the law.” Lady had winked at him. “Don’t worry. I’ll be stealthy.”

  Conners lived in a small, run-down apartment complex. From all the dog excrement on
the lawn, Lady imagined that the tenants were allowed to have pets. Conners probably just hadn’t paid a deposit for one was all. She doubted anyone would spare her a second glance while carrying Lion inside.

  If you had told Lady that the buildings in front of her had once been part of a motel, she would have believed it. The place had a similar layout. There was even a vending and ice machine near the door to Conners’ apartment.

  The apartment itself was a little better on the inside. Conners had a real knack for interior design. Either that or his mother had decorated the place.

  The apartment was small but made cozy by compact furniture and stackable storage containers. You could see most of the apartment from the entryway. At least, that’s what it felt like. Stepping inside, you went right into the living room. There was a burgundy loveseat in front of a large flat screen. The kitchen was separated by a narrow bar. There were a couple of doors. One was open and led to a bedroom. The other was most likely the door to the bathroom.

  “I could live in a place like this,” Lady said, hoisting her bag from her shoulder and placing it near her feet. She put Lion down as well. “How much is rent?”

  “Too much for what you get. You’re better off staying at the inn. Trust me.” Conners frowned at Lion as the cat scampered through the living room and into the bedroom. “Shouldn’t you set him up a litter box before you release him?”

  Lady shrugged. “I’m getting around to it. Don’t worry about Lion. He’s a smart boy.”

  “Everyone thinks their cat is smart.” Conners sounded skeptical. He was probably more of a dog person.

  “If you hate this place, why don’t you move out?” asked Lady, moving deeper into the apartment to get a look around. It really was cozy. There were paintings on the walls and the loveseat had a number of comfy looking throws on it. That said, she could hear someone watching television next door. Apparently, the walls were rather thin. “Being police chief pays okay, doesn’t it?”

  “You’d be surprised.” Conners started turning on lights. Like many apartments, the place didn’t have any overhead lights. He turned on lamps instead. Between those and the natural light coming through the windows, the place lit up nicely. “I’ve had this place since I first moved out, honestly. I guess I could move somewhere else, but…” Conners trailed off and gave a shrug. “Guess I never saw much point in it. I’m working most of the time. I’m not at home much, and it’s just me. All I need is a place to hang my hat.”