smell? Garlic?”
Vegas grabbed a slice of the coffee ring and bit into it with gusto. “The vampire. Viktor Luca.”
“You girls and your vampire obsessions.” Natasha preened a bit when she said, “Wasn’t my house perfect last night? I banked on vampires being the hot craze and I was so right. You know, there is something elegant about them— martinis and all—so much nicer than grubby mummies and zombies.” She leaned toward Vegas. “Pinch off a bite of that for me.”
“Do you think Viktor showed up at your party?” asked Vegas, holding out a morsel of chocolate and bread.
So much for convincing her that vampires weren’t real.
Natasha raised her hands with her fingers stiffly splayed, her long nails looking very witchy. “Boo!” She plucked the chocolaty piece from Vegas’s fingers and chewed it slowly, savoring every last bit. “I’m sure he wasn’t there, Vegas. I don’t believe I even know a Viktor.”
I handed Natasha an orange mug of coffee and placed a sugar bowl in the shape of a pumpkin and a matching creamer with a green vine handle on the table.
“Do you know who bit Mr. Starski and set the fire? We saw him, you know.” Vegas sniffed the coffee. “Can I have some of that?”
“Wouldn’t you rather have hot chocolate?” I asked.
Vegas shook her head. “I love coffee.”
I looked to Natasha for permission, but she stared at Vegas. “Bit him?”
“Jen and I saw the bite marks on his neck.”
Natasha snapped her gaze to me. “Is that true? Did you see them, too?”
What I saw was my neighbor, Nina Reid Norwood, letting herself in through the kitchen door. “Why didn’t you tell me about the murder at Natasha’s house last night?” Daisy planted herself in front of Nina in an alert sit position and offered a paw. Nina withdrew a dog treat from the pocket of her quilted silk bathrobe and fed it to Daisy. “Brr, it’s cold out there.”
I told them to help themselves to coffee and dashed up the stairs to shower and change while Natasha brought Nina up to speed. An oversized purple T-shirt with long sleeves and a Halloween cat stitched on the front seemed perfect. I wedged into a pair of black jeans so tight that I couldn’t breathe, gave up, and swapped them for blue jeans that were loaded with spandex and much more comfortable. I pulled my hair up with a big clip to keep it out of the way since we had a lot to accomplish. Glittering purple spiderweb earrings, a gift from Jen, finished off my Halloween look.
I hustled back to the kitchen to scramble eggs with ham. It wasn’t the most Halloweeny breakfast, but I thought we all needed a boost of protein in our systems.
Nina rose to pour more coffee for everyone. She nudged me. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about Patrick last night! I thought the police were there because of the fire.”
“You hurried off to catch that cat.”
“Next time, fill me in, will you? I never would have left you alone. I never did catch the cat anyway.”
I was counting on being burned-out in the evening, so I threw salty soy sauce, sweet apricot preserves, garlic, cornstarch, ginger, and orange juice into a pot and let it cook into a marinade for Chicken Scaryaki while we ate breakfast.
Slices of cantaloupe, banana monster fingers, and toast cut into the shape of pumpkins with a cookie cutter went on green plates along with the eggs and ham.
I leaned into the family room and called, “Jen, breakfast is on!”
She emerged rubbing her eyes. I noted that she still wore the sock on her neck. “Do you know anything about this?” I held open the bag that contained the horrifying doll.
Jen shuddered. “It’s a Living Dead Doll.”
TEN
Dear Sophie,
My daughter is having a Halloween party this year, so I’m going all out. My husband found fake tombstones on sale and made a coffin for the front yard. They’re all on display, but they just seem kind of uninspired.
—Not Scary in Gravestown, Mississippi
Dear
Vegas grabbed a slice of the coffee ring and bit into it with gusto. “The vampire. Viktor Luca.”
“You girls and your vampire obsessions.” Natasha preened a bit when she said, “Wasn’t my house perfect last night? I banked on vampires being the hot craze and I was so right. You know, there is something elegant about them— martinis and all—so much nicer than grubby mummies and zombies.” She leaned toward Vegas. “Pinch off a bite of that for me.”
“Do you think Viktor showed up at your party?” asked Vegas, holding out a morsel of chocolate and bread.
So much for convincing her that vampires weren’t real.
Natasha raised her hands with her fingers stiffly splayed, her long nails looking very witchy. “Boo!” She plucked the chocolaty piece from Vegas’s fingers and chewed it slowly, savoring every last bit. “I’m sure he wasn’t there, Vegas. I don’t believe I even know a Viktor.”
I handed Natasha an orange mug of coffee and placed a sugar bowl in the shape of a pumpkin and a matching creamer with a green vine handle on the table.
“Do you know who bit Mr. Starski and set the fire? We saw him, you know.” Vegas sniffed the coffee. “Can I have some of that?”
“Wouldn’t you rather have hot chocolate?” I asked.
Vegas shook her head. “I love coffee.”
I looked to Natasha for permission, but she stared at Vegas. “Bit him?”
“Jen and I saw the bite marks on his neck.”
Natasha snapped her gaze to me. “Is that true? Did you see them, too?”
What I saw was my neighbor, Nina Reid Norwood, letting herself in through the kitchen door. “Why didn’t you tell me about the murder at Natasha’s house last night?” Daisy planted herself in front of Nina in an alert sit position and offered a paw. Nina withdrew a dog treat from the pocket of her quilted silk bathrobe and fed it to Daisy. “Brr, it’s cold out there.”
I told them to help themselves to coffee and dashed up the stairs to shower and change while Natasha brought Nina up to speed. An oversized purple T-shirt with long sleeves and a Halloween cat stitched on the front seemed perfect. I wedged into a pair of black jeans so tight that I couldn’t breathe, gave up, and swapped them for blue jeans that were loaded with spandex and much more comfortable. I pulled my hair up with a big clip to keep it out of the way since we had a lot to accomplish. Glittering purple spiderweb earrings, a gift from Jen, finished off my Halloween look.
I hustled back to the kitchen to scramble eggs with ham. It wasn’t the most Halloweeny breakfast, but I thought we all needed a boost of protein in our systems.
Nina rose to pour more coffee for everyone. She nudged me. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about Patrick last night! I thought the police were there because of the fire.”
“You hurried off to catch that cat.”
“Next time, fill me in, will you? I never would have left you alone. I never did catch the cat anyway.”
I was counting on being burned-out in the evening, so I threw salty soy sauce, sweet apricot preserves, garlic, cornstarch, ginger, and orange juice into a pot and let it cook into a marinade for Chicken Scaryaki while we ate breakfast.
Slices of cantaloupe, banana monster fingers, and toast cut into the shape of pumpkins with a cookie cutter went on green plates along with the eggs and ham.
I leaned into the family room and called, “Jen, breakfast is on!”
She emerged rubbing her eyes. I noted that she still wore the sock on her neck. “Do you know anything about this?” I held open the bag that contained the horrifying doll.
Jen shuddered. “It’s a Living Dead Doll.”
TEN
Dear Sophie,
My daughter is having a Halloween party this year, so I’m going all out. My husband found fake tombstones on sale and made a coffin for the front yard. They’re all on display, but they just seem kind of uninspired.
—Not Scary in Gravestown, Mississippi
Dear
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