“No need to thank me.” He lifted his full mug. “It was a fair exchange of services.”
He gave me that same unsettling smile, and I had to check my pace so I didn’t hurry away.
• • •
When I stepped out of the diner, I noticed a black cat grooming itself on the diner windowsill. As I watched it, a voice whispered in my ear. Black cat, black cat, bring me some luck.
I spun. There was no one there. I rubbed my ear and made a face. Another forgotten ditty, resurfacing from my subconscious. I guess it was a testament to my mental state. I could act like I was motoring forward, doing fine, but something inside me had fractured, and this was what came bubbling up.
“Superstitious nonsense,” I muttered.
The cat gave me a baleful look, then rubbed its paw over its head, flattening both ears with one swipe.
“Storm’s coming,” I whispered.
“Is it?” said a voice behind me.
I turned to see Ida and Walter exiting the diner. Ida peered up at the sky.
“Figures,” she muttered. “Just when I decide it’s safe to put the laundry out.”
“No, I didn’t mean—”
“Move those old legs,” she said to her husband. “Or you’ll have wet drawers waiting at home.” She smiled over at me. “Thank you, dear.”
I tried again to protest that I’d only been mumbling to myself. The sky was bright and clear. Rain wasn’t coming anytime soon. But neither seemed to hear me, and only hurried off to get their laundry in before the skies opened.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
All these years of hiding my superstitious side, and suddenly I was blurting weather omens to strangers. A cat washing its ears meant rain? I’d never heard of that before, no more than I remembered hearing that killing spiders was bad luck or that a black cat was good luck. Even people without a superstitious bone in their body knew that black cats were supposed to be bad luck.
Was this the first sign of a breakdown? Where other people would begin triple-checking locks and refusing to leave the house, I started babbling omens?
My apartment was only about a quarter mile from the diner. I’d seen a tiny park behind the bank that seemed like it could be a shorter route. It was on a half acre of land, cut by cobbled paths that ran between the surrounding houses and buildings, providing direct access to each street—including Rowan.
The park was beyond adorable, bounded by a gated wrought-iron fence. Every third post was a thick stone pillar topped with a chimera—fantastical hounds and birds and mythical mixtures. Many of them were shiny with wear, as if local children had each adopted their own, rubbing it for luck when they came to play.
Inside there were benches and a tiny burbling fountain, the fountainhead another chimera. The water came not out of its mouth, but from both ears, which made me smile. The park wasn’t big enough for a full-blown playground, but there were swings, two for older kids and one basket type for little ones. The basket swayed gently, as if recently vacated, and I imagined a child in it, shrieking with delight, chubby arms and legs pumping.
“High, Daddy. Go high!”
A man’s laugh. “I think that’s high enough.”
“High! Go high!”
“Okay. But hold on tight. If I bring you home with skinned knees again, Mommy will kill me. Are you holding on, Eden?”
I tore my gaze from the swing and hurried across the park to the rear gate. My fingers trembled as I unlatched it. It swung open with a squeal loud enough to make me jump. I turned to close it properly. As I did, I noticed patterns of stones in the garden. I bent over one. White stones arranged against black soil.
I jerked up, blinking. A deep breath, then I looked down again. It didn’t look anything like the patterns from my dream. Just a child at play, arranging stones in the dirt.
I gave one last look at the swing, still twisting slightly in the breeze. I clutched the bag with Grace’s scone, still warm, the comforting smell wafting out. I turned from the park and headed down the pathway toward Rowan.
As I hurried along, the sky grayed so fast I looked up in alarm. Rain? I shook my head. Wishful thinking, as if having my weather omen come true would somehow prove I was perfectly sane. Because “storm-prediction-by-cat” was sane.
Yet when the sun disappeared, it seemed to suck the spring warmth from the air. I shivered and pulled my jacket tighter. As I did, I caught sight of a shadow on the wall beside me. I looked over sharply. No shadow.
How could there be a shadow when the sun was gone? Damn, I really was losing it.
Yet I couldn’t shake that sense of something creeping along behind me. Finally I spun. There was something there—a black shape crouched on the fence of the now-distant park. A chill crept up my spine and I squinted. The shape lengthened, stretching until it became the black cat, languidly arching its back, then settling in on the fence post to watch me.
The urge to run tingled down my legs. Instead, I forced myself back toward the cat. It just sat there, watching me.
“If you’re looking for handouts, this”—I waggled Grace’s bag—“is not kitty food.”
The cat yawned and stretched again before settling back on its perch. Something passed overhead and the cat sprang up so fast I stumbled back. It gave me a scornful glare, then looked up into the sky. I followed its gaze to see what looked like a crow, soaring high overhead.
“A little out of your reach,” I said to the cat.
It ignored me, tail puffed, yellow eyes following the distant bird.
Crow, crow, get out of my sight
Or else I’ll eat thy liver and lights
• • •
“Great,” I muttered. “Just great.” I shook my finger at the cat. “You guys really are bad luck.”
The clouds overhead shifted, sunlight coming through again. As I headed back to the pathway, I glanced over my shoulder once, but the cat hadn’t moved. It just kept staring at that crow, as if hoping it would come lower. If it did, the cat would be in for a surprise. The bird was probably as big as it was.
When I was about halfway down the path, I could make out the Victorian house across the road, the one with the psychic in residence. Again, I saw a face in a window. And two black circles. Binoculars. They pulled back and I smiled to myself. Psychic, my ass. In a town this small, all you needed to pull off that gig was the gift of nosiness.
A cloud moved across the sun again and I looked up. Maybe it would rain after all. That might establish me as a psychic. Look out, lady—
He gave me that same unsettling smile, and I had to check my pace so I didn’t hurry away.
• • •
When I stepped out of the diner, I noticed a black cat grooming itself on the diner windowsill. As I watched it, a voice whispered in my ear. Black cat, black cat, bring me some luck.
I spun. There was no one there. I rubbed my ear and made a face. Another forgotten ditty, resurfacing from my subconscious. I guess it was a testament to my mental state. I could act like I was motoring forward, doing fine, but something inside me had fractured, and this was what came bubbling up.
“Superstitious nonsense,” I muttered.
The cat gave me a baleful look, then rubbed its paw over its head, flattening both ears with one swipe.
“Storm’s coming,” I whispered.
“Is it?” said a voice behind me.
I turned to see Ida and Walter exiting the diner. Ida peered up at the sky.
“Figures,” she muttered. “Just when I decide it’s safe to put the laundry out.”
“No, I didn’t mean—”
“Move those old legs,” she said to her husband. “Or you’ll have wet drawers waiting at home.” She smiled over at me. “Thank you, dear.”
I tried again to protest that I’d only been mumbling to myself. The sky was bright and clear. Rain wasn’t coming anytime soon. But neither seemed to hear me, and only hurried off to get their laundry in before the skies opened.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
All these years of hiding my superstitious side, and suddenly I was blurting weather omens to strangers. A cat washing its ears meant rain? I’d never heard of that before, no more than I remembered hearing that killing spiders was bad luck or that a black cat was good luck. Even people without a superstitious bone in their body knew that black cats were supposed to be bad luck.
Was this the first sign of a breakdown? Where other people would begin triple-checking locks and refusing to leave the house, I started babbling omens?
My apartment was only about a quarter mile from the diner. I’d seen a tiny park behind the bank that seemed like it could be a shorter route. It was on a half acre of land, cut by cobbled paths that ran between the surrounding houses and buildings, providing direct access to each street—including Rowan.
The park was beyond adorable, bounded by a gated wrought-iron fence. Every third post was a thick stone pillar topped with a chimera—fantastical hounds and birds and mythical mixtures. Many of them were shiny with wear, as if local children had each adopted their own, rubbing it for luck when they came to play.
Inside there were benches and a tiny burbling fountain, the fountainhead another chimera. The water came not out of its mouth, but from both ears, which made me smile. The park wasn’t big enough for a full-blown playground, but there were swings, two for older kids and one basket type for little ones. The basket swayed gently, as if recently vacated, and I imagined a child in it, shrieking with delight, chubby arms and legs pumping.
“High, Daddy. Go high!”
A man’s laugh. “I think that’s high enough.”
“High! Go high!”
“Okay. But hold on tight. If I bring you home with skinned knees again, Mommy will kill me. Are you holding on, Eden?”
I tore my gaze from the swing and hurried across the park to the rear gate. My fingers trembled as I unlatched it. It swung open with a squeal loud enough to make me jump. I turned to close it properly. As I did, I noticed patterns of stones in the garden. I bent over one. White stones arranged against black soil.
I jerked up, blinking. A deep breath, then I looked down again. It didn’t look anything like the patterns from my dream. Just a child at play, arranging stones in the dirt.
I gave one last look at the swing, still twisting slightly in the breeze. I clutched the bag with Grace’s scone, still warm, the comforting smell wafting out. I turned from the park and headed down the pathway toward Rowan.
As I hurried along, the sky grayed so fast I looked up in alarm. Rain? I shook my head. Wishful thinking, as if having my weather omen come true would somehow prove I was perfectly sane. Because “storm-prediction-by-cat” was sane.
Yet when the sun disappeared, it seemed to suck the spring warmth from the air. I shivered and pulled my jacket tighter. As I did, I caught sight of a shadow on the wall beside me. I looked over sharply. No shadow.
How could there be a shadow when the sun was gone? Damn, I really was losing it.
Yet I couldn’t shake that sense of something creeping along behind me. Finally I spun. There was something there—a black shape crouched on the fence of the now-distant park. A chill crept up my spine and I squinted. The shape lengthened, stretching until it became the black cat, languidly arching its back, then settling in on the fence post to watch me.
The urge to run tingled down my legs. Instead, I forced myself back toward the cat. It just sat there, watching me.
“If you’re looking for handouts, this”—I waggled Grace’s bag—“is not kitty food.”
The cat yawned and stretched again before settling back on its perch. Something passed overhead and the cat sprang up so fast I stumbled back. It gave me a scornful glare, then looked up into the sky. I followed its gaze to see what looked like a crow, soaring high overhead.
“A little out of your reach,” I said to the cat.
It ignored me, tail puffed, yellow eyes following the distant bird.
Crow, crow, get out of my sight
Or else I’ll eat thy liver and lights
• • •
“Great,” I muttered. “Just great.” I shook my finger at the cat. “You guys really are bad luck.”
The clouds overhead shifted, sunlight coming through again. As I headed back to the pathway, I glanced over my shoulder once, but the cat hadn’t moved. It just kept staring at that crow, as if hoping it would come lower. If it did, the cat would be in for a surprise. The bird was probably as big as it was.
When I was about halfway down the path, I could make out the Victorian house across the road, the one with the psychic in residence. Again, I saw a face in a window. And two black circles. Binoculars. They pulled back and I smiled to myself. Psychic, my ass. In a town this small, all you needed to pull off that gig was the gift of nosiness.
A cloud moved across the sun again and I looked up. Maybe it would rain after all. That might establish me as a psychic. Look out, lady—
