Witches and Waterways, page 8
Lionel said that with such conviction that AJ found herself nodding, believing the lie he told. “Are you sure?” she said.
“I am. Go on, now. Shoo.”
“If you ever want to stop by and get a reading, it’s on the house,” AJ replied fervently as she started to back away.
“I may take you up on that,” Lionel assured her with a grin.
Feeling immense relief, AJ turned and scurried down the sidewalk. She was at least two blocks away before the police cars rolled by, lights on but no sirens.
Though she felt guilty about leaving Lionel on his own, once he’d gotten over his initial shock, he’d steadied out tremendously.
But now, the mystery of who killed Carla had expanded. Had it been the same person who’d trashed her space, obviously looking for something? Or was it someone else?
And where was the ghost box radio?
AJ didn’t understand why she felt it was all connected, but she did.
Hopefully tomorrow would have better news.
Chapter Fifteen
AJ slept fitfully that night, unsurprising given the day’s events. She’d shared all her news with Bea, then arranged to take a longer lunch break the next day, as Bea didn’t go into details but claimed that she had news as well.
That Thursday morning, the Milltown app was full of news from Lionel, who had posted about the break-in after he’d talked with the police. He announced that all of Carla’s files were gone, though he didn’t mention that the ghost box was missing.
AJ knew that it hadn’t been an act of violence, at least not at first. The person in question had been searching for something.
But what? And why had they taken the ghost box?
AJ felt as though she had more questions than answers, still.
As she put on her coat, she thought she heard music. Strange. Was someone outside, walking on the beach, listening to the radio? That had happened before. But the sound vanished as soon as she put her hand on the door.
It surprised her that when she opened her door, that day’s Valentine’s Day card fluttered down from where it had been stuck next to the hinge.
AJ reached down to pick it up, then nearly dropped it again. It felt warm and heavy in her hand, weighing more than it should against her fingers.
Looking at the envelope carefully, she didn’t see that anything was in it. Nothing but the card.
With misgivings, she slid open the envelope and took out the card.
Again, it was a kid’s Valentine’s Day card, this time with a goat. The heart-shaped sign that said, “Happy Valentine’s Day!” on it had a couple of bite marks taken out of it.
Again, someone had added their own message. It said, “You will be mine.”
That…was threatening.
Should she call the police? Before, the cards every day felt like a weird, badly executed prank.
This felt like something more.
AJ took a picture of the card from that day as well as the day before, then found the information for Officer Brendan. She sent him a quick email from her phone, explaining how she’d been receiving cards every day and that the pictures were from the last two.
She didn’t expect to get an email back right away, and she didn’t. Instead, she got through her paperwork at the inn, her meetings with Rosita, Sooli, and Payne, then eventually escaped.
The sunshine had deserted the town and once again storm clouds filled the sky. It had been raining off and on all morning, though as AJ was walking to lunch, she’d say it was merely a heavy mist, just enough to warrant something covering her head, but not much else.
The day’s special at the Storm Brew Café was homemade tomato soup served with a grilled cheese panini sandwich. It sounded perfect and AJ ordered it immediately, not bothering to wait for Bea.
Her sister was late, as always, and AJ was glad that she’d already started on her lunch. The rain must have started again, because Bea practically squelched when she sat down.
“Oh!” she said, looking at AJ’s plate. “I ordered that as well.”
“It’s good,” AJ assured her. “Really good.”
Bea looked thoughtful. “You said you saw Carla’s office last night, with Lionel?”
“Shhh,” AJ said, looking around the café. No one was listening to them, but it was still better that they kept their voices down.
Bea rolled her eyes. However, she did nod, and repeated her question much more quietly.
AJ nodded. “Yeah. It was a mess. Someone had obviously been looking for something. They took all her files, as well as the ghost box.”
“Do you think it was the same person as the one who killed Carla?” Bea said.
“Possibly? I don’t know,” AJ said. Though that was what her intuition said, she had nothing to base it on. After Bea’s food was delivered to the table, AJ had to ask, “Did you have any luck finding out who GrayDawn was?”
“Sort of,” Bea said. “Did you know that the owner of the app is Jermaine?”
“The guy who runs the electronics store?” AJ said.
“Yup. I don’t know if you remember, but when you sign up for the app, you have to provide a mailing address, to prove that you live here,” Bea said.
AJ nodded. She’d been able to use Bea’s address as hers. After she’d signed up for the app, she received her initial password in the mail.
“Turns out that the address that GrayDawn used is a post office box,” Bea said. “The name’s obviously a fake—he just used A. Resident—but the PO box is real.”
“How in the world did you manage to get that information?” AJ said, awed.
“Jermaine owed me a favor,” Bea said. “And no, you don’t want to know what.”
“Is it like the favor you owed to Jacques?” AJ asked. There still wasn’t enough brain bleach in the world to completely erase the nude painting she’d seen of her sister.
“Very similar,” Bea said with a coy smile.
AJ gave an exaggerated shudder. “Ugh. So, at least we know where GrayDawn gets his mail.”
“Which isn’t much,” Bea said. “I don’t have a way to find out who the person behind that box is. Not without staking out the post office.”
AJ sighed. It was something of a lead, but not much.
“So I thought as soon as we finished lunch, we’d go to the post office. Just to see if whoever owns box sixty-one fetches their mail. It is delivered every day around lunch time,” Bea said.
“All right,” AJ said, a little grumbly. She would much rather sit and digest her food, drink her coffee and chat with Bea, than go back out.
The sisters ate and talked, but they ran out of ideas.
The rain, of course, was much stronger after lunch, sheets of water pounding down on them. While AJ didn’t mind the water that much, even she felt bedraggled by the time they reached Bea’s car. Fortunately, she was able to dry them off quickly once they got into the car.
The post office was on the southern side of town, tucked up on the hill. It was a modern building, from the 1990s. There was a small counter to the left of the door, slots for accepting mail directly across from the door, and to the right, a wall of boxes that continued around the corner.
Bea told AJ, “This may take a while,” as she went to stand in line behind three other people.
AJ looked at her sister, uncertain what to do.
“You could always go look around,” Bea said. “While I’m waiting here.”
It took AJ a few moments to process what Bea was saying.
“Got it,” AJ said. “I’ll just be walking around. Trying to get my steps in,” she said, holding up her wrist and indicating the fitness watch that she always wore. Since coming to Milltown, she hadn’t been at its beck and call as much. The inn kept her on her feet more, and walking to and from town had also been good.
Plus, though she felt as if she’d been eating more food, it had been healthier food overall, despite what her sister thought of the lack of vegetables in her diet.
So AJ deliberately stepped away from Bea, called up her numbers on her watch, then walked to the end of the row of boxes, turned, and kept walking.
Ah ha. Box number sixty-one was in the top row of boxes, about a third of the way down the wall.
AJ walked down to the far end of the post office, then slowly walked back, up to Bea, and down along the boxes again. She made sure to frequently check her watch, knowing that she looked a little weird doing this.
Then again, she was a psychic. The people in Milltown should expect weird behavior from her, right?
At least there were some interesting photos on the wall. Though the post office was currently in a modern building, that hadn’t always been the case. There were old black and white photos of the previous buildings where the post office had been located, including what was now someone’s home.
AJ wished she had Roland there. She was certain he could tell her the history and stories behind the post office’s moves, and make it interesting. While the photos on the walls looked cool, they didn’t tell enough of a story.
When Bea finally made it up to the counter, she dawdled, talking to the guy behind the desk, asking about the sizes of boxes that she could rent, how much they cost, how often she’d have to pay, etc.
That gave AJ more time to walk and keep an eye on box sixty-one.
However, no one came by the entire time Bea kept the clerk busy.
Finally, Bea finished her “business” and met AJ beside the boxes. “I think this size of box will be too small for me, don’t you think?” Bea said, taking her sister around the corner and pointing to one of the smaller boxes at the top of the stacks.
“I agree,” AJ said. “Particularly if you mean to get supplies delivered here. I would think one of the bigger boxes at the bottom would suit you better.”
“That’s a thought,” Bea said slowly. “I hadn’t even considered getting my supplies delivered here!”
The sisters loitered for a little longer, but eventually, AJ told Bea that she had to get back to the inn.
A young man held open the door for them as they left. AJ had an impression of light-colored hair that had been dyed an unnatural dove-gray. It had blue streaks running through it. He also had sharp features and long, skinny fingers.
AJ felt a shiver of something as she walked past him.
And she must be hearing things, or someone was playing the radio really loudly in their car, because she would swear she heard music again suddenly.
What in the world?
The rain was coming down in sheets. Bea hurried toward the parked car.
AJ stayed where she was for a few more moments, looking back into the post office.
Was that box sixty-one that the young man had gone to? AJ thought so, but she wasn’t certain.
There was a second set of doors at the rear of the post office. The young man went out those, then walked away, not bothering to get in a car.
Which meant he lived nearby, but where?
AJ finally shook it off, slowly returning to the car, where Bea was waiting for her.
“That was him,” AJ said with finality.
“Who? That young guy? GrayDawn?”
AJ nodded slowly.
“Well, crap,” Bea said. She drummed her thumbs on the steering wheel. “No one at the post office is going to tell us who their client is.”
“I know,” AJ said. “And…well, I forgot to tell you something.” She got out her phone and explained about the last two Valentine’s Days cards that she’d received, showing Bea the writing on each.
“That’s getting really creepy,” Bea said.
“You’ll be happy to know that I’ve already sent these along to Officer Brendan,” AJ said, checking her email, then groaning. “Who now wants me to come to the police station this afternoon.”
“You want to go now?” Bea asked.
“Yeah,” AJ said, sighing. She texted Willow, who was on the front desk at the time, that she’d be late.
She’d make it up to everyone later.
Or so she promised herself—that there would be a later for her.
Chapter Sixteen
Bea first drove AJ to her house to pick up the cards she’d received, then she dropped AJ off at the front of the police station. Though Bea had volunteered to come with her, AJ had insisted on doing this alone.
She was going to the police for help this time. They should be on her side.
Right?
The police station had been built in the 1950s, and looked it. It was short and squat, with mean-looking windows and a single, solid gray door that was probably bomb-proof. Inside the first door was a short entranceway and a second set of doors, also solid looking. There wasn’t any glass in the metal doors to see who was coming in, but there was more than one security camera pointed at her from the ceiling.
AJ pulled open the second set of doors and walked up to the desk. At least it was vaguely cheery in here, the counters and the walls painted a bright yellow with dark blue trim. The air stank of burnt coffee. AJ was glad she’d dried herself off some, as it felt as though someone had the AC turned on high, despite the fact that it was February.
An older white woman AJ hadn’t met stood behind the counter, dressed in a police officer’s uniform. Her nametag read “Toni.”
“Can I help you?” the woman—presumably Officer Toni—asked. She had curly white hair that still held onto its original black in places. She looked more like a friendly school librarian than an officer of the law. She had green glasses perched on her nose, magnifying the dark brown eyes behind them, a mischievous smile, and the perfect amount of makeup.
“I’m here to see Officer Brendan,” AJ said. “He’s expecting me.”
“I’ll let him know you’re here,” Officer Toni said.
Officer Brendan walked up to the front with the other woman to meet AJ.
“Hi there,” he said with his big, goofy grin. “So glad you could come by. Let’s go talk in the conference room,” he said, indicating a room to the side. As he held open the door, he said, “I’m going to offer you coffee, but I’m also going to recommend that you don’t take me up on it. It’s pretty bad. I swear, Toni can burn water.”
AJ snorted quietly and assured Officer Brendan, “It’s okay. I’m still full from lunch.”
The conference room could easily hold twenty people at the long oval table that took up the center of it. Chairs were scattered haphazardly around the table, with three piled up in the corner. The color scheme of yellow and blue had continued in here, though the table itself was white pine. It was as cold in here as it was in the outer office. AJ pulled her coat more tightly around her.
“Tell me about the cards you’ve been receiving,” Officer Brendan said.
AJ explained about the cards, how they’d been appearing every day in February, how they’d always been wedged in between the door and the frame. She spread them out across the table so that Brendan could see them.
“Except for the last couple, I hadn’t bothered to keep the envelopes,” she explained, handing him one. It was probably the original envelope that had come with the card, cheaply made out of thin paper.
Officer Brendan spent a little time staring at the cards. He picked them up and held them up to the light, saying, “Huh.”
“What is it? What do you see?” AJ asked.
“It isn’t obvious, but someone has put a very small hole through the eyes of each character on the cards,” Officer Brendan said.
“That’s…disturbing,” AJ said. She picked up one with a cute beaver on it, then held the card up to the light. He was right—the eyes had a very careful pinprick in the center of each. It had been made with a very fine-tipped point so the hole was difficult to see.
“It is disturbing,” Officer Brendan said, nodding.
“What do I do?” AJ asked, perplexed. “Is this someone coming after me? Some sort of stalker?”
“Who doesn’t want you to see too much? Maybe,” Officer Brendan said. “And you haven’t had any visions about the cards?”
“None,” AJ said, confused. “And honestly, I would expect that I would if there were something threatening to me going on.”
Officer Brendan shook his head. “I don’t know. As these have all been sent anonymously, we can’t give you any sort of restraining order. Not that those are horribly effective to begin with. You might want to install some sort of camera on your door, to see who comes and goes.”
“That’s a thought. However, tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day,” AJ pointed out. “I’m assuming that whatever this person wants, they’re going to come for it tomorrow.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s right,” Officer Brendan said. “Uhm, are you going to be alone?”
“I have a date, actually,” AJ said. “Roland Jax and I are going out to dinner after I finish work.”
“Good, good,” Officer Brendan said. He paused, then asked, “Is it possible that Roland is sending you these cards?”
“No,” AJ said. “I asked him and he didn’t lie to me.”
Officer Brendan looked skeptical at that, but didn’t push. Instead, he asked, “You have my number, right? So you can call if anything goes wrong. Day or night. I’ll pick up the phone for you.”
Officer Brendan was so earnest that AJ would have wondered if he was hitting on her, except that she recalled that some of the gossip around town was that he didn’t necessarily like women.
“How’s it going with Carla’s investigation?” AJ asked.
“I can’t talk about an ongoing case,” Officer Brendan said sternly. Then he gave her his usual cheeky grin. “I’m always happy to hear if you have information for us, though. Like a vision.”
“Are you familiar with GrayDawn? One of the anonymous users on the Milltown app?” AJ asked.
“I am,” Officer Brendan said slowly, nodding. “That person isn’t thrilled about you.”
“According to Seamus, Carla’s business manager, GrayDawn is, or rather was, Carla’s boyfriend,” AJ said.
