July 17, Wednesday

I WAS sitting in a wicker chair on the wraparound porch, expanding the outline of my manuscript in my notebook, when an orange vehicle pulled up and parked near the chicken coop. It was an old El Camino, half-car, half truck. The back held a large riding lawnmower and some other tools.

A wide person emerged, dressed in yellow spandex and workboots. They waved. "Hiya, I'm Kelly. Finally shook the crud. Whew, look at this grass, why don't you? Gonna take me a while to knock it down."

"Hi, Kelly." I still couldn't tell if Kelly was male or female—not that it mattered. I just felt gauche asking, so I didn't.

"I see Satan is back."

"Satan?"

"The goat. He's trouble."

"I know. He broke into the house and destroyed the kitchen."

"Sounds about right. I'll make a pen for him. And pee-ew, I can smell the chicken coop from here. I'll fix that, too."

"Thanks. I've been gathering the eggs."

"Yeah, Coleman at the grocery told me you'd been by… and Wayne said he talked to you yesterday." Kelly grinned. "I think he has a crush on you."

News spread like wildfire in Irving. I was starting to realize hiding out in a small town might've been an error in judgement.

On the other hand, I realized Kelly might be a source of information. "How long have you been looking after things around here?"

"Not long—a couple of months."

My shoulders sagged. "So you didn't work for Rose Whisper?"

Kelly's eyes widened. "Nobody wanted that job. Rose Whisper was a witch."

I wet my lips. "You mean, she was difficult to work for?"

Kelly scoffed. "No, she was a witch, like the kind that ride broomsticks and shit."

Kelly turned and strode back to the vehicle, whistling under their breath.

But the casual proclamation left my hair standing on end.