“Raising Cain. It’s an expression.”

  “What’s it mean?”

  “It means ‘causing a lot of trouble’.”

  Ha! Wasn’t that a case of shooting the target right in the bull’s eye?

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” I muttered darkly.

  Bailey shot me a sympathetic look as she turned down Haven Hollow’s main street. We were gonna grab us some lunch (and hopefully a cup o’ joe) while Bailey explained all the stuff I’d need to know. I figured it would all go down a little easier with a burger from the Half-Moon Bar and Grill.

  Downtown Haven Hollow was full of some nifty little stores. We drove past Stomper’s Creamery, the ice cream shop run by Stanley Stomper and his family. Motorcars were lined up at the drive-through window—the only way you could purchase ice cream there, since Stanley was a centaur (that meant he was a horse on the bottom half—and, yeppers, I’d often wondered what it would be like to make whoopee with a horse-man. Not exactly with Stanley ‘cause he was old enough to be put out to pasture, but with a much younger horse-man).

  The drive-through hid the lower horse part of his body from customers who weren’t part of the magical community. Sweeter Haunts, the Halloween themed candy shop, displayed rows of handmade candies in their front window, covered by fake cobwebs and guarded by little clay monsters. Their fudge was so good, it shoulda been illegal.

  Then came Wanda’s Witchery, where Wanda sold enchanted clothing to the folks in town. She sold some amazing things: suits that made a gal feel more confident, track pants that made her actually want to exercise, and lingerie that hid all her flaws and gave her the confidence of a Hollywood starlet.

  A little bit past Wanda’s shop, and across the street, was Poppy’s Potions. Poppy sold all kinds of things, from potions for sweet dreams to ones that improved your memory, and even an oil for divination magic.

  She also had a potion that could banish a murderous poltergeist. It had taken four to drive Frank out of the house in Silver Lake.

  “You’ll need candles for the ritual.” Bailey gestured at Poppy’s store as we drove by. “I like to anoint them with Enchanted Spirit Oil and place them in the four corners of a room. It keeps random ghosts from showing up to the summoning and causing trouble.”

  That left me a bit cold. I hadn’t considered that spooks I didn’t summon specifically might show up like uninvited guests to a soiree. I was apparently pretty strong for a medium. What if I called down a whole mess of spooks instead of just the one? Or what if I called down the ghost of someone real rotten like Scarface Capone or Mussolini? But then I started thinking about bringing back Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks or Ramon Navarro and it didn’t sound so bad.

  We pulled into the parking lot of the Half-Moon Bar and Grill before I could get myself too balled up about it. As soon as we walked in, the hostess, Shelby, led us to our table, blonde hair bouncing behind her with every step. She seated us, gave us our menus, and returned with our drinks in record time.

  Roy was behind the bar, pulling some bottles outta a cardboard box, the muscles in his arms and shoulders straining against his tight t-shirt. He waved when he caught sight of us, flashing us a hundred-watt smile.

  Poppy was right outta her mind for letting that one go—as far as fellas went, Roy was a real sheik. Marty was all right, I guessed, but he definitely wasn’t a muscle-ridden lumberjack with a smile that could drop the drawers of any church goin’ broad.

  SS grabbed my attention away from Roy and his drool-worthy pectorals as she drew a clear crystal on a chain from her purse, dangling it over the menu and letting it swing in circles until it landed on one item. Her shoulders drooped as she saw the thing it landed on, but dutifully asked a confused Shelby for the buffalo chicken wrap.

  “I thought you hated spicy food,” Bailey whispered, frowning.

  “Oh, I do.” Steamboat slumped back into the bench. “But it’s what fate’s chosen for me.” Then she made this strange little laugh. “What can you do?”

  I bit my tongue to keep from blurting out what I was thinking. This constantly holding back was becoming a real pain, literally.

  “The other thing you’ll want to get from Poppy,” Bailey continued once our orders were in. “Is some Piercing the Veil oil, and you’ll anoint a white candle with it.”

  “How come?” I asked.

  “It’ll help you throw your call further, make sure you reach your target.”

  I realized I should probably be taking notes, because there was no way I was gonna remember everything Bailey was telling me. Fishing around in the side pocket of my purse, I found the stub of a pencil, and I scribbled down the oils Bailey recommended onto my napkin. “Okay, we’re hitting on all eight.”

  “Oh, you should see if Poppy has some jasmine oil while you’re at it.” Steamboat sat forward, leaning onto the table in her excitement. “Jasmine oil anointed on your forehead is wonderful for your third eye.”

  I couldn’t help the look of disgust that was definitely taking a ride on my mug. “I only had two peepers, last time I checked.” I was suddenly beyond grateful for the fact that I’d become an honest-to-goodness, real dame with only two peepers, rather than three. That was the sort of stuff that landed you right in the circus.

  “That’s too bad.” SS dropped her enormous purse on the table and pawed through it. “It would make your sensitivity to the unseen energies so much better.”

  “Oh. Well, good to know.” I trailed off like a palooka. Bailey was no help, sipping her lemonade through her straw and carefully avoiding peeper contact with either one of us, the chicken.

  I had no idea what the heck Steamboat Solis was beating her gums about now. And considering how sensitive I was to ghosties already, I didn’t want to do nothing that might pull more of them in. I could end up with a whole mess of spooks stuck to me, and wouldn’t that be like throwing a wet blanket on my social life? Being possessed would be hard enough. I shuddered, imagining going on a date with my very own spook chorus.

  I was saved from any more of Steamboat’s unsought advice by the arrival of our food.

  “You’re going to want to bind the spirit to an object, something that can be worn, and more importantly, taken off.” Bailey chewed a bite of her cobb salad before continuing. “That way, you don’t have to keep Officer Morgan with you constantly. It’ll be a lot less effort for you in the long run. Not to mention a lot less embarrassing when you need to take a shower.”

  I stopped mid-chew, the sweet tang of ketchup in my trap, as I stared at Bailey wide-eyed. I hadn’t even thought about using the lavatory or getting naked in general and what about when I was on the crapper? You just didn’t want a stranger for company while you were doing certain things.

  “What kinda object?” My voice only squeaked a little.

  Bailey chased a wedge of tomato around with her fork. “Anything really, but jewelry might be the best choice. It’s inconspicuous, harder to damage than cloth, and easy to take off or put on. But, the jewelry in question should be one of Cain’s possessions, something he had a connection to, something personal.” She paused to chew, and wiped the corner of her yap with a napkin. “It’ll be a lot easier than summoning him over and over just so you can have a bit of privacy.”

  “Definitely.” I popped the rest of my fry into my kisser, chewing slowly. “That’s the crop?”

  “What’s that mean?” SS asked, frowning at me.

  “Yes, that’s all of it, Darla,” Bailey answered on a laugh as Steamboat just looked at us both with a shrug and returned to her fate-determined lunch.

  Part of me still couldn’t believe I was even doing this. The rest of me was focused on not thinking of all the ways I could screw up. But that was a tall order.

  What if Cain Morgan didn’t answer my summons?

  What if someone else—or something else—did?

  I felt the blood drain from my face. What if I summoned the demon that killed the good officer? Were they bound somehow?

  Even to this day, I couldn’t have said whether Frank was connected to me past death. We’d been stuck together for a century, but that coulda just been owing to circumstance and neither of us willing to get a wiggle into the afterlife. Plus, once Poppy banished him, I hadn’t been dragged anywhere with him… So, yeah, I probably shouldn’t have gotten myself worked up about that particular topic.

  Especially not when I had plenty of other things to get worked up about.

  A dull, throbbing pain started in my temple.

  “You’re very tense, Darla.” Steamboat looked up from poking morosely at her wrap. “If you’d like, I can show you some acupressure points that are good for soothing headaches.”

  I tried for a smile, but it probably came out as a grimace. SS meant well, I was sure, but the idea of her hovering over me, putting her hands on my neck and face, made my burger roll around in my stomach.

  “Thanks, dollface. But I think I just need to be alone for a bit. Get my head on straight.”

  It took both hands to keep my skirt from bunching up as I slid outta the booth, but I managed to keep a bit of decency. I stood at the edge of the table, next to Bailey, then I reached inside my purse to yank out some cabbage for my lunch, but Bailey stopped me.

  “This is a company lunch since we’re talking business,” she insisted. “It’s on Howard.”

  I nodded, pleased to hear it because I didn’t have much spinach to my name. In fact, I was fairly sure I had a fiver in my purse and that was about it. Good thing pay day was coming at the end of the week.

  “I’ll stop by Poppy’s and grab the potions and candles I’ll need,” I said.

  Bailey nodded. “Just put them on Howard’s tab… again, it’s business, so let business pay for it.”

  “Got it.”

  “And text Taliyah to see if she can get you something that belonged to Cain for the ritual.”

  Bailey’s pretty ocean eyes were watchful as they skirted over my mug.

  I nodded slowly.

  “Text me if you have any questions?” Bailey asked.

  “Will do,” I answered.

  “Now you’re on the trolley,” Bailey said with a wink and a smile. She was good people.

  And I could tell she understood I was angling for some alone time, since she kept her body firmly seated between Steamboat and me when SS tried to get up and offer me a bundle of dried grasses. We both pretended not to notice, and I slipped between the crowded tables and out the door of the Half-Moon Bar and Grill.

  I wanted to get a little bit of time to myself before I ended up with a near-permanent ghostly hitchhiker.

  Chapter Six

  I’m not sure what I was expecting Cain Morgan’s house to look like, but the neat two-story home with its slate-gray paint and pristine-white gingerbread trim wasn’t it.

  There was even a swing seat on the wraparound porch.

  I guess after everything I’d heard about the late chief, parta me had been expecting a cinderblock bunker.

  There were a few signs of neglect here and there: the grass was a little too long, the bushes needed a trim, but all in all, it was a pretty swell house.

  Too bad nothing could shake the feeling of emptiness that emanated from it.

  Slender glass bottles clinked together in my bag as I made my way up the front walk. I’d stopped by Poppy’s shop on my way over to pick up the supplies I’d need. Along with the potions, Poppy told me how to anoint the candles so they’d be ready for the summoning.

  If only I was ready for the summoning.

  Too bad there wasn’t anything I could anoint myself with to help.

  Maybe gin?

  I imagined the look on Blaise Howard’s face if he found out I’d dipped the bill before performing a ritual for a client. That thought made me shudder all the way into tomorrow.

  I’d texted Taliyah while I was still in Poppy’s shop while Poppy carefully wrapped all my purchases in tissue paper. Taliyah had agreed to meet me at Cain’s house. As regards the mobile tele, well, it was an invention that was still a work in progress for me. In fact, it was really Poppy who had texted Taliyah because I still wasn’t sure how to get beyond the home screen. But I could answer the thing whenever it rang so points for that.

  After my visit to Poppy’s Potions, I’d taken a bit of a detour, walking around to clear my head. I wasn’t hiding from the summoning or avoiding the job, I just needed the space to take a running start at it.

  ***

  By the time I’d finally dragged myself over to Officer Cain’s house, I watched as Taliyah pulled up and stepped out of her motorcar.

  Taliyah Morgan was an impressive looking broad, tall and slender with icy blue peepers. The few faint lines on her face didn’t take away from how beautiful she was. But it was an austere kinda beauty. Like a glacier.

  Her sandy hair was going white, but it wasn’t the gray of age. It was frost white, winter white. Every day she looked more and more like what she was: the next queen of Winter.

  The budding Faerie princess held up a paper bag. “I didn’t have a chance to get dinner earlier, so I grabbed something for us on the way over. I hope you don’t mind.”

  After giving my gams a workout all afternoon, I sure as heck didn’t mind, and I said as much. She didn’t say nothing more, but just offered me a smile and I followed her up the walkway that led into the house.

  Cain Morgan’s kitchen was surprisingly cozy, considering it leaned toward the spartan side of things. The white tile and stainless-steel appliances felt sterile, but the look was softened by the blue and green curtains hanging over the sink and the towels on the stove.

  We ate at his little square table while I tried not to look around too obviously. No one likes a looky-loo.

  The place had probably been neat, once upon a time. Now there was a noticeable layer of dust on everything, and the air felt stale.

  Taliyah must have noticed my gawking because she gestured with her half-eaten spring roll. “Sorry about the house. I just haven’t had the time to clean the place up since Cain… has been gone.”

  My heart went out to her. Talk about a raw deal. Taliyah was dealing with turning into a faerie, whatever that involved, the death of her adopted sibling, and now taking over his job. On top of all that, there was this case she was working on… one that she needed my help with. It musta been a big one, if she was calling in Spook Society. You didn’t summon the spirits of the recently deceased for jaywalking cases.

  If I could help her, I was gonna.

  A lot of people had helped me since I came back to life. It was time to at least pay some of it forward if I couldn’t pay all of it back. Plus, it made me feel a little better about the whole channeling thing.

  “I can’t say I’m fully on board with this whole thing,” Taliyah said.

  “What do you mean?”

  She shrugged. “Just that I never would have ever considered bringing a psychic in to aid in an investigation before I moved to Haven Hollow.”

  “Well, this place ain’t like others.”

  She nodded and her peepers got real wide. “Isn’t that the truth?” I nodded and she continued. “This case though… I can’t handle it alone. I need Cain’s help and if this is the only way to get it…” Her words faded away as she shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m even contemplating this.”

  “It’ll work out fine—just you wait and see,” I answered and gave her a convincing smile though there weren’t no confidence behind it.

  Silence settled between us as we ate our Chinese food she’d picked up. She’d let me have my choice and I’d gone for the orange chicken which was real good. That was another thing about being alive again—eating was such a joy.

  “I know the house is a bit messy right now, but feel free to stay here for as long as you’re… working with Cain.”

  Hmm, that was an interesting thought and at the further thought that I could be free of Libby and her neverending yapping about this recipe or that sewing pattern, I decided to take Taliyah up on her offer.

  “Maybe the familiar setting will be helpful to him,” she continued, her voice cracking on the last word. She cleared her pipes as she dug her chopsticks into her fried rice.

  I ignored the slip of emotion, giving her a couple minutes to get herself back under control. Taliyah struck me as a dame who was disciplined, one who maintained an air of authority, always keeping herself in check. She wouldn’t wanna attract attention to her, no matter the cause.

  So, I just kept my peepers lowered as I ate some more of my chow mein. Taliyah had been nice enough to grab me a fork. I’d only used chopsticks once or twice before, and I wanted to make a better first impression than dropping half my dinner down my top.

  Taliyah fished out a sliver of water chestnut, deftly popping it into her mouth. “So, the particulars regarding this case I’ve been working on haven’t been released to anyone yet, but I want you...”

  “Wait, wait!” I chewed and swallowed in a hurry, waving my fork like a conductor’s baton as I felt my peepers go wide. “Am I allowed to hear this?”

  On TV, regular joes didn’t get to know the details of snooper cases. And when they did, it never ended well for them. The bad guys always ending up getting the same information from someone beating their gums. And the last thing I wanted was to end up dead again from knowing too much.

  Taliyah gave me a funny look, her eyes narrowed in confusion as she held a bit of beef halfway to her kisser. “If Cain is going to be working this case with me while he’s in your body, you’ll find out the details, anyway.”

  “Oh. Right.” I hadn’t really considered all the nitty-gritty details of possession. With this spook working the case from inside me, that meant I was gonna have to go to crime scenes, most probably. Maybe even see the bodies.

  Yuck.

  I put down my carton, setting my fork to the side. Something told me hearing about this case was gonna kill my appetite. Just thinking about it had put me off a little.

  It didn’t slow Taliyah down, though. She dug through her food as she spoke, chewing and swallowing carefully around her words, clearly used to talking through quick meals.