Chapter 98: Chapter Ninety-Eight - Two Feet

Only eight minutes until I was to meet the catnapper. It both seemed too soon and not soon enough, if that made any sense. I’d run out of time to find Studmuffin myself or find a way to not hand over the Ring of Everlasting Night. I’d done my best though. Now I just hoped the exchange went smoothly and I had my favorite familiar back in my arms again soon.

While I waited in Dad’s car, Bernie, my whole body strummed with vibrating, too-tight nerves. Dad had the sense to put snow chains on his tires so we’d arrived with plenty of time to spare. But the waiting part was slowly driving me off a cliff into Witchy Crazy Town.

“Gum?” Cass offered from the back seat behind me.

“Thanks.” I took one so I’d have something else to look at other than the falling snow and the very empty lot behind Gas, Guzzles, & Go.

“Much obliged.” Next to me, Dad took one too. “So, Travis. About your dad.”

Oh good. Yes, let’s do this right now. I stuffed the gum in my mouth and attacked it with my teeth like they were mini chainsaws.

“Yeah?” Travis said in his cool, calm voice as he unwrapped his stick of gum. He didn’t sound worried about this conversation at all. Typical Travis.

“Did he ever tell you about the time he sliced up several red apples, put marshmallows between the slices, and scared Gran Black almost to death because she thought they were just piles and piles of red lips with teeth?”

“And then Gran said ‘you’re going to give me snacks and heck at the same time?’” Travis chuckled. “I’ve heard that story only about a million times.”

“One of the best, funniest days of my life.” Dad glanced over at me. “On a very long list.”

My chest warmed. Dad was choosing to bring up the good things about Marcus Black in front of his son. Focusing on the positive rather than the negative. Could it be that he was willing to leave the worst parts about Marcus in the past for the sake of Travis and me?

Next to me, Dad’s faraway expression revealed nothing.

“Headlights,” Cass announced.

As I turned to look, my pulse rocketed between my ears. If I could still hear after this ordeal, that would be really great.

On our left, a black vehicle drove slowly by. Its shape resembled Detective Palmer’s Jeep, but it was impossible to tell. If he and Boxy were here though, where had the car they’d followed from the Coven of the Keeping Hand’s headquarters gone?

Unless they were nearby too…

I looked at the clock on the dash. Four minutes to midnight.

“Close enough,” I said, opening Bernie’s door and climbing out.

“We’ll drive around to the street and then creep back behind that fence there on foot.” Dad nodded to the wooden posts that separated this lot from an empty one next door. “You have the uh, ahem and Boxy’s pepper spray?”

I ducked my head back inside. “Yes and yes and yes.”

“What’s the extra ‘and yes’ for?” he asked.

“I have what’s left of my sanity too, at least for the time being.”

Cass reached for my hand and squeezed it. “Good luck.”

“We’ll be right behind you,” Dad assured me.

Travis grinned. “Give ‘em snacks.”

I snorted despite myself and shut the door.

As Dad drove off, my phone chimed with a text. It was from Boxy.

We lost them. Too hard to see. I’m sorry. BUT.

I blew out a heavy breath and waited for this ‘but.’

I found a whisker!

In the snow? I voice-to-texted him.

No, stuck in the screen door at coven headquarters.

Hmm, it was almost as though my smart professor of a familiar was leaving us a trail of clues.

My phone chimed again. This text was from Detective Palmer.

We’re close. Stay safe.

The only sound was the gently falling snow. Even though I wasn’t truly alone, I sure felt it. What if this went big-time wrong and I ended up without the ring and still without Studmuffin? Worse, what if the catnapper didn’t show?

You’d think all my worrying and never-ending what-ifs would keep me warm with all the energy that took, but nope. I shivered deeper into my coat and thought warm thoughts.

For the millionth time that night, I checked the time on my phone. One more minute.

I wandered into the middle of the empty back lot, hoping I’d be easier seen when the catnapper finally showed up. Visibility was about two feet though…and two feet in front of me, I found I wasn’t as alone as I thought.

Two feet lay in front of me, and I mean that literally. Two snow-booted feet attached to a pair of legs stuck out from behind the dumpster by the fence. Two feet that weren’t moving.

Oh no. I’d been around the murder block enough times to know exactly what this meant.

“Hello?” I called, though I sure didn’t expect an answer.

In case this was part of a Victoria trap, I tiptoed closer to the back of the dumpster. Still no movement, and then I knew why…and who.

Parker Lee, full-time appraiser and part-time circus man, was dead.