Page 82 of Bright Dark Curses

Sensing my distress, Fluffy pawed at my jeans. I leaned down and gave her a good scratch on her favorite spot behind her ears. She panted in bliss.

Rufus ambled over, sniffed at my jacket, possibly sensing something was amiss on my person, then nudged me for his share of attention.

It made me want to cry.

I hugged his neck and rubbed his back. “You’re a good egg like your owner, Rufus.”

Rufus woofed a grunt, licked my face, then moved back to his water bowl.

I cleaned my cheek, then slapped it lightly.

“Time to focus.”

“Are you talking to me, to the dogs, or to yourself?” Bagley asked.

“To the universe, Ms. Bagley, for it’s the source of our magic and all that we are.”

“If the universe focuses any more on you, you’re going up in flames. How many dead bodies does this make? Five?”

“Three, and this one doesn’t count. It didn’t happen in my shop.” There, another silver lining. I could do this.

“Have you stopped to consider maybe you’re the curse on Olmeda?”

“Now you’re just being mean.” I stood and went to the kitchen downstairs, Fluffy and Rufus in tow, as if they were guarding me. It made my heart ache. “You were responsible for the body in the bathtub and the one in my shop. You’re the curse on Olmeda.”

Bagley chuckled with delight. “I wouldn’t mind that too much.”

Of course she wouldn’t. I grabbed her plastic container, made sure everything was locked up tight, and returned upstairs. I unhooked the locket from around my neck and put Bagley into the container, then closed the lid firmly and placed it on the windowsill of the kitchen, where Fluffy and Rufus couldn’t reach.

“What?” Bagley said, her voice muffled by the plastic. “No locker?”

“You helped, you get to reap your reward.” I wouldn’t leave her unsupervised downstairs, but I saw no harm in allowing her a night up here. “Enjoy making a list of things I could improve in my kitchen for when I wake up.”

“Oh, I will,” she said with pure glee.

A reluctant smile curved my lips. Before she could see it, I turned and went into the dark, empty living room. I parted the curtains and studied the front street as I brought out my phone. A good amount of car traffic came through even now that it was night, but the sidewalks were quiet and the houses across the street dark and silent. One had a small string of Christmas lights dangling across a window. They twinkled in reds and greens and blues and made me feel lonely in my empty living room.

I looked down at Fluffy and Rufus. “After this is over, we’re getting a couch.”

Rufus wagged his tail in agreement. Fluffy sat and stared at me adoringly.

Time to get this Officer Brooks call done.

First I searched the non-emergency number for the local police, then I was passed from person to person and made to wait fifteen minutes just to be told Officer Brooks wasn’t on duty.

Since there was no way they were going to give me her personal number, I sent Veva a text asking for it.

To pass the time while I waited for Veva’s answer, I checked my crystal’s shipping page.

Out of stock.

I almost dropped the phone.

“What?”

Fluffy made concerned noises while I browsed to the black jade’s sale page. Out of stock there too. Did that mean out of stock because they only had one and it had been shipped to me? Or out of stock because they shipped it to someone else? Or because they hadn’t realized they didn’t have any until they shipped mine?

I dropped to sit on the floor and buried my face in my hands.

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