Page 22 of A Hot Sauce Halloween

“Hey, Jacob Tyler. Officer Sally Gilmore here.”

“Sally…”

I grow tense. Sally and I have spoken many times since Anna and I got together… but always in person and never more than an exchange of small talk or pleasantries.

“How are you?” I ask.

“I’m fine. Thank you. Is Anna with you tonight?”

“Uh, no,” I say. “She’s at home, sitting the holiday out alone.”

“Really?” she asks, her voice showing a hint of concern.

I hop off my barstool. “Charlotte,” I say, leaning over to talk in her ear. “Stay right here with Aunt Evey, okay? Don’t move.”

“Okay, Daddy.” She nods at me, quietly enjoying her candy.

I retreat into the back to cut out the noise. “Yeah. Why? What’s going on?” I ask Sally.

“She was supposed to call and check in with her team an hour ago. No one’s been able to reach her.”

“That’s…” I hold my breath, “concerning.”

“Yes, it is. It’s not like her and with this killer wandering around right now…”

Her voice falls and I feel a shiver take my spine.

I force a chuckle. “Well, you don’t think…”

“It’s probably nothing,” she says. “I’d just feel a little better if I heard her voice, that’s all.”

I nod. “Yeah. Me, too. Look, I’ll call her and have her contact you ASAP.”

“Thanks, Jake. Happy Halloween.”

“Happy Halloween.”

I hang up and quickly swipe open my contact book. My imagination runs wild, fueled by fear, but there’s no reason to jump to conclusions just yet. Anna might have forgotten to check in. She might have hit the wine and candy a little too heavy and fell asleep early. She might be lying in a pool of her own blood and—

No.Don’t go there. There’s no reason to go there.

I listen to the repetitive ringing. “Come on, Anna…” I mutter.

It goes to voicemail. I try again.

The door pushes open behind me.

“There you are!” Evey says as she walks toward the fridge in the corner. Her feet scrape the concrete, just barely rising off the floor beneath her weight. “So, what’s this crap my brother is spouting off about you two starting some criminal enterprise?”

I look up. “What? That’s not a thing. He told you that?”

She grabs a bottle of water from the refrigerator door and laughs. “Nah, I just overheard you trying to talk him out of it. Thanks, by the way. Just when I think he’s getting over Monica, he gets sucked right back in like a damn endless misery portal. He never wants to talk to me about it though, so it’s nice that he’s finally found somebody to vent at.”

Anna’s voicemail message fills my ear again and I grit my teeth.

“Yeah,” I say. “No problem. I’m happy to help him.”

Evey tilts her head. “You okay?”

---