Page 68 of It All Started with a Bite

Charlene chewed her lip. “That’s because it was an angry ghost.”

“Someone probably used the magic photocopier without Mindy’s permission,” Fred said worriedly.

Another shriek rattled the windows.

“You’d better go up there and see what’s going on,” Fred told me.

He and Charlene watched me expectantly.

I made a face. “Aren’t you supposed to be security?”

“This isn’t a security matter,” Fred glossed over.

Charlene nodded. “It’s a higher-up matter.”

“I just started working here two days ago,” I pointed out. “I’m as low-down as you get.”

Fred and Charlene exchanged a glance.

“Ain’t no one higher up than the Hawthorne luna,” Fred declared confidently.

“You should give up,” Bo told me.

The lobby doors opened before I could come up with a suitable riposte.

A man in an expensive suit walked in. He had the same nose and chin as Kevin from my old workplace. His eyes widened a little when he saw me, his pupils holding a faint ember glow.

Even without the glow, I could tell he was a werewolf from his scent.

“Hi, there. We didn’t get to meet yesterday.” He crossed the floor and offered his hand. “I’m Kevin Mullen, Head of Marketing.”

“Abby West.” I shook his hand cautiously. “Any relation to Kevin from Pennington & Graves by any chance?”

The guy blinked. “Yeah, he’s my second cousin.” He gave me a puzzled look. “How did you know?”

I was wondering whether the other Kevin was also a werewolf when another shriek shook the building.

“Gotta run.” I made for the express elevator with Bo.

“You might want to take the stairs,” Charlene warned.

I stopped and turned. “Why?”

Charlene fidgeted. “Nigel had a moment in it yesterday, after you left. The clean-up crew isn’t here yet.”

“Great,” Kevin muttered.

“Let me guess,” I said warily. “Someone surprised Nigel?”

Charlene grimaced. “Their phone did. Dave downloaded Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony as his new ringtone. It went off between the third and fourth floor.”

I digested this for a moment. “Is Dave okay?”

“He’s taking the morning off.”

I trudged toward the stairwell with Bo.

“Your third day at the office isn’t exactly going well either, huh?” Bo said sympathetically.

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