Page 13 of Haunted Eclipse

“Hey, come into the back,” she said, motioning for me to follow her.

I wove around the line of customers and through the curtains leading into the break room.

“Wow, it’s really jumping out there,” I said.

“It’s cold. People want mochas and hot cocoa, not to mention hot coffee. Apparently, this weekend we’re supposed to have a big snow event, before the weather clears up and gets back tonormal next week. So you might want to stock up on eggs and bread.”

“Oh, a French toast alert?” A meteorologist out of the Seattle area often called weather eventsFrench toast events, because people always stocked up on eggs and bread and milk, all ingredients to make French toast, a luxury usually requiring a snowy morning stuck at home.

“Apparently so. We’re due for five to seven inches of snow this time. So we may actually get snowed in. At least we don’t have the hills that Seattle does, but with the wind that comes in off of the strait, you know it’s going to be icy.” She motioned for me to sit down at the table. “Do you want some coffee?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course,” I said with a laugh. “I could use a double shot mocha, if you don’t mind.” I reached for my purse but she waved me away.

“On the house. I’ll be right back.” As she headed back through the curtains, my phone sounded. I opened it up to find a text from Brenda.

i had the oddest dream,she texted.you were in it, and together we were being chased by some sort of invisible monster. it was so real, and we were running through the woods at night. we were afraid for our lives. i’m not quite sure why i decided i needed to tell you, but it felt so real that i’m going to trust my instinct.

I stared at the text. That was odd. Not sure how to respond, I finally texted back that I would call her in a while, when I was free.

Crystal returned with my mocha, a hot cocoa for herself, and a bag of cranberry oatmeal cookies. “If I remember right, you like these, right?”

“Oh, I love those. And you make the best ones.” I took a sip of the mocha, and leaned back in my chair. “My morning reading — my first reading — was incredibly sad.”

“What happened?” Crystal asked.

“Oh, someone losing their mother, and trying to put tie up loose ends. Just…a lot of heartache in so many ways. It left me in a odd mood. I feel so bad for my client, and yet… Sometimes things just work out the way they do. At least my second reading was pretty generic. Anyway, did you find out anything about the Midnight Hour Social Club?”

“Yes, actually. They’re still meeting, every Saturday evening at seven PM in the community center. Anyone over eighteen is welcome.” She bit into a cookie. Then, after she swallowed, asked, “So, are you going to go?”

“You mean this Saturday? I thought it was supposed to snow.”

“It is, but you know how forecasts can be off around here. Maybe you should think about trying it out.” The grin on her face told me she thought I was going for myself.

“Slow down! You know I’m not ready to date again,” I said. “However, it occurred to me that I might be able to find some potential clients there. I did some preliminary work on my client Brenda this morning, and it seems that I’m looking for a star witch. However, there aren’t many in the database and so…I need leads.”

“Didn’t you tell me she was abear shifter?” Crystal asked.

“Yes, and I know it doesn’t sound like a likely pairing, but that’s what I saw. And I’m almost always right.” I paused, then added, “Doyouknow of any star witches around?”

Crystal thought for a moment, then shook her head. “They’re pretty rare, even around here.” She worried her lip, then hesitantly added, “I think there’s a family of star witches over in Whisper Hollow. In fact, the mother belongs to the Crescent Moon Society. I think she runs it.”

I blinked, surprised. “Really?”

“Yeah, and if I remember correctly, her name is Starlight. I’m not sure about her last name. I’ll have to look it up.”

“Isn’t there a spirit shaman over in Whisper Hollow?”

“Yeah, Kerris Fellwater. I’ve met her a couple times. She spooky as hell, but nice enough.”

Spirit shamans weren’t exactly the most friendly of people, and there weren’t many of them around. They weren’t witchblood, but an entirely different branch of magic. Liaisons between the living and the dead, they were steeped in necromancy. Even those witchblood who dealt with the dead and the Veil didn’t have the intimate connections that spirit shamans did.

“If you could find out Starlight’s last name, that would be helpful. I may have to make a trip over there. Meanwhile, I got a text from Brenda while you were making our coffee. She had a nightmare about her and me. I’ll call her back about it later.”

“Where’s your aunt?” Crystal asked. “I usually see her at least once a day, but she hasn’t been in yet. Is she okay?”

“She drove over to Moonshadow Bay. Her friend, Teran, needed some help. Astra will be there for a few days and she took Dahlia with her. So Miss P. and I are on our own. Why don’t you come over tonight for dinner?”

“Sounds like fun to me,” Crystal said. She glanced at the clock. “Okay, I’d better get back to work and make sure nothing’s ready to explode out front. Although Karina’s such a good worker that I don’t have to worry. What time do you want me for dinner?”

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