Page 4 of Killing Time

“Then we’ll get the car when we get the key to the bungalow,” Seth replied. I could tell he was still a little unsettled but doing his best to adapt to all the changes that had been thrown at him over the past hour. Learning his parents were both gone had been hard enough without having to pile this mess about Ruby on top.

Well, we’d go back to his bungalow and do our best to regroup. Sure, the elders and Abigail were going to have a sit-down and try to come up with a plan of action, but that didn’t mean Seth and I couldn’t do the same thing on our own.

If nothing else, we had much more area knowledge about Flagstaff than the current crop of McAllisters could possibly possess, even though I knew a whole hell of a lot about my hometown must have changed between 1884 and 1947.

“Yes, that sounds like a good plan,” the gray-haired elder said, telling me that he wanted us out of the way so the adults could talk. True, Seth and I were both in our twenties, but to someone in their seventies, we must have seemed like infants.

And honestly, I was fine with leaving them to their own devices. Seth and I had already proven that we worked well together as a team, even though I had absolutely no idea how we were going to get past Jasper Wilcox and the other warlocks he had working with him. Somehow I doubted they had any witches on the team, since I’d heard my clan hadn’t been so great on the equal rights front back in the day. All the same, I couldn’t help thinking the two of us might have a better chance at getting Ruby back since we’d already survived almost two weeks in Flagstaff.

Funny to think of my hometown in such a way, but honestly, before Connor took the reins following his older brotherDamon’s death, it hadn’t exactly been the happiest place on earth.

“Of course,” Seth said, almost nonchalantly. However, I stood close enough to him that I could sense the tension in his body, and I knew he wasn’t thrilled with being treated so dismissively.

But since he also seemed ready to leave and get back to his house, he didn’t say anything else and instead waited for Charles to say a brief goodbye to his wife and the elders before the three of us headed out the door. We were a silent group as we walked down the hill toward the mercantile, but I was okay with that. Despite the obvious decline in the town, the day itself was beautiful, with a few high, streaky clouds adding depth to the clear blue sky, and air that was just cool enough to tell me it was late in October without being so cold that I thought I’d need a sweater or jacket.

And then we reached the mercantile, where Charles pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door before flicking the switch to turn on the overhead lights.

“The key to your house is upstairs in the apartment,” he told us. “You might as well go ahead and get some more clothes and some supplies as well, since I know Margie cleared everything out before she and her family moved to Payson.”

Right — their cousin Margie, who was Helen’s daughter. She’d been just a child when Seth had last seen her, and now she must be older than either one of us.

So many things he’d need to adjust to.

But he only nodded at Charles’s comment before heading over to the wall that held the clothing and shoes and underwear in neat stacks on the shelves mounted there. I followed him since I didn’t know what else to do. So many things I wanted to say, but I knew all that would have to wait until we were alone together in the bungalow.

Seth worked efficiently, making a pile of pants and shirts and some sweaters and socks before fetching an overcoat that hung on a rack nearby and placing it on top. I did much the same, although my pile was mostly skirts and blouses and a couple of dresses and sweaters. Once I’d put enough together for a week’s wardrobe, I also grabbed a coat, figuring that if we were going to end up in Flagstaff, I’d definitely need something heavier than just a sweater.

Afterward, we got some canned food and a bag of flour and little containers of salt and baking soda and anything else we might need to restock the empty kitchen at Seth’s bungalow. Put together, it was quite a collection, and I was glad that we’d be getting his father’s Chevy so we wouldn’t have to drag everything over to the house on foot. Yes, he was only a few blocks from here, all of it downhill, but it still would have been too much to manage.

Charles re-emerged from the back room where the stairs terminated and headed over to Seth so he could hand him two sets of keys.

“For the bungalow,” he said as he gave Seth the first key. “And for the Chevy,” he added as he put another key in his brother’s hands. A pause, and then he also gave his brother a black leather wallet, one that appeared to be stuffed with cash. “That should help get you started. If you need more, just ask.”

“Thanks,” Seth said briefly.

I could tell he wanted to say more but had decided to refrain for the time being. Charles had had months and months to mourn their parents, but for Seth, their loss was new and sharp, something I guessed hadn’t even sunk all the way in.

Well, we’d have some time alone soon.

Because Charles also seemed intent on getting our stuff in the car and the two of us out of the store as quickly as possible, he helped us carry everything out to the Chevy their father hadleft behind. I had to admit it was a hell of a sweet ride, two-tone turquoise and darker blue, with wide whitewall tires and much sleeker styling than the little Dodge convertible Seth had left behind in 1926.

Despite everything that had been going on, I could tell he was impressed by the car, because his eyes widened slightly as he took in the vehicle once Charles set down the supplies he was carrying and had removed the protective fabric covering that helped shield it from the elements.

“Mom was okay with Dad buying something like this?” Seth asked as Charles scrunched the cover into a blob that would be a little easier to carry and then set it down on the back porch.

His brother shrugged. “We’d gone through a lot during the war — rationing, blackout rules, supply chain issues. Mom thought he deserved to treat himself.”

I’d read about some of those privations in history books, but this was the first time I’d ever encountered anyone who’d had to deal with them personally. Which made sense, of course; by my time, the people who’d lived through World War 2 would have been long gone.

Seth appeared to take his brother’s explanation at face value, since he only nodded and then walked over to the car so he could unlock the trunk. It was absolutely huge, well suited to carrying our booty down to his bungalow, and we silently filled it up with everything we’d gotten from the mercantile.

“Well, I guess we’ll get settled in,” Seth said, then gave his brother a piercing look. “Do you really think they’ll come up with some kind of plan to help Ruby? I hate the thought of her being trapped like this for even a day.”

Although Charles didn’t exactly shrug, I got the impression he wasn’t nearly as concerned about the situation as his brother. “They’re extremely competent,” he replied. “And we have time to work on the problem. I’m sure what Gilbert said about the darkof the moon is correct, which means Jasper Wilcox knows he needs to wait to truly claim her for his own. For now, I think it’s better if you focus on getting settled on where…when, that is…you’ve landed. And Helen’s still just down the street from your place, so you’ll have help nearby if you need it.”

Meaning, I supposed, that Charles had decided to wash his hands of the matter. Anger on Seth’s behalf roiled my stomach, but I knew better than to speak up. His older brother already viewed me as an interloper, so I didn’t see the point in causing an argument now.

And while he might have been bitter at being left to navigate the changing times and his disappointing marriage on his own, none of that was Seth’s fault.

---