Page 23 of Real Fake Hauntings

“Preston?”

“Getting ahead of Dru.” She would a hundred percent insist on putting her backstabbing ex on the list.

He chuckled. A dark, delicious sound that curled my toes.

“You crossed off the teen shifters?”

“Hutton gave them an alibi.”

“What if he’s lying to protect them?”

“Then he’ll read them the riot act and there won’t be any more pentagrams.”

“You think there might be more?”

The idea gave me an unpleasant thrill. “Maybe? Until we know what the perpetrator’s plan is, we don’t know if four was enough or if they plan on doing more. Four is a weird number.” I gestured toward his fence. “Five sounds better.”

“You think there’s another pentagram that hasn’t yet been discovered?”

“Or whoever does them doesn’t care and only did four because they ran out of time.”

So many possibilities, so little free time to figure it out.

“Crane is involved?” Ian asked, going back to the list.

“Janet saw him walk by a bit before her neighbor alerted her about the pentagram. It doesn’t seem like his style, but he might’ve seen something.”

Amusement danced in his eyes as he checked the next line. “‘Everyone else?’”

“Gotta keep my options open.” He returned my phone, and I stared at the screen for a few moments before pocketing it. “Say, could I get the bounty hunters’ secret list of local paranormals?”

“We don’t keep a list of paranormals,” he said, all seriousness.

Sure, and I wasn’t a witch. “If such a thing existed, could you look into it for me?”

“What’s the angle?”

“Witches and the Cabinet. Maybe a paranormal works there? It’s the only human business affected. There has to be a catch.”

“Or it’s a diversion.”

“I need to make sure.”

“Why?”

“So I don’t go down the wrong track and the vandal gets away.”

He smiled. “Why is it your problem?”

I puffed out my chest. “My community, my responsibility. Pentagrams and spells indicate witches are involved. Besides, Sonia asked me officially.” The notion still went down like delicious creamy artisanal ice cream.

“Doesn’t your job end at verifying spells were done?”

For a lesser, less dedicated witch, probably. “I will narrow the list of suspects, then Sonia and Officer Brooks can decide what to do. What’s the point of bothering anyone if it turns out to be a prank?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

I nudged his side. “Can you check with your contacts and see if anyone suspect has come into town for Halloween?”

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