8. Emma

EIGHT

Emma

We pulled silently out of Andrew’s neighborhood. All the pretty little houses disappearing behind us. I tried to shake off the strange feeling that had settled inside of me since hearing about Andrew’s tragic past, but I was having trouble. I couldn’t believe we’d even considered him a suspect.

Still, there was a werewolf out there attacking people. We just had to find him or her.

I glanced at my phone as it buzzed on the dashboard, squinting to read the new message. "Beth, the apartment manager just texted. I can pick up the keys now. Do you mind if we swing by?"

My son and his girlfriend were officially moving to Mystic Hollow. They’d finished their study abroad and graduated but decided to spend a little longer exploring Europe rather than going to their graduation. I’d been a little sad about not getting to see him walk, but I also understood the opportunity they had. I was just glad that the place they’d decided to settle down in after that was here.

"Sure thing," Beth replied, watching the road. She flicked on the turn signal and steered the car toward the next exit. "Excited about Travis and Jacqueline’s new place?"

A surge warmed my chest. "I am. I'm super excited. I just hope they like it here."

Beth laughed, "What's not to love about our sleepy little town?"

"Right?” I grinned. "I also like everything about Jacqueline so far, especially that in being with her Travis has gotten to learn about the supernatural world, so I don’t have to hide that side of myself from him.”

"But dating a witch can be… tricky,” Beth said, driving just a little faster than she should as she drove the familiar path to the closest apartments to my house. The closest, and the nicest.

"I think he can handle it.” I smiled. "He’s so straight-laced sometimes, having someone like her is good for him.”

"Plus, she didn’t mind moving close to you,” she said, winking at me.

"That didn’t hurt. Now, I just need to not scare her off.”

"You’ll do fine. You’re not one of those crazy overprotective moms,” she said, easing the car into a parking spot.

We pulled up to the apartment complex and I spotted a uniformed guard near the entrance. "Since when did they hire security?" I murmured, unbuckling my seatbelt.

"Good question." Beth glanced at the guard as she got out of the car.

We approached the office door, the guard nodding curtly at us. "Afternoon."

"Hi," I replied. "Is everything okay here?"

"New precautions." He opened the door for us.

Inside, the manager, Ms. Jennings, was shuffling through papers on her desk. She looked up, her expression a mix of relief and weariness. "Hello, Emma, here for the keys?"

"Yep, that's right." I stepped closer, leaning on the counter. "What’s with the beefed-up security outside."

Ms. Jennings handed me the keyring. "We’ve had a few incidents lately, but this paired with the attacks in town… Well, we’ve just decided to be careful."

Beth and I exchanged a look. We were both wondering what the rumors are about the attacks, and if there are any parts of the rumors that might be useful to our investigation.

"We heard that something was going on. Do you have any idea what?” Beth asked, feigning total ignorance.

"Robberies gone wrong, we assume," Ms. Jennings said. "But we're doing everything we can to make sure nothing happens to our residences."

"Robberies, oh my! Do you have any idea who was robbed?" I slid the keys to Travis’s apartment into my pocket.

"Actually, yes," Ms. Jennings leaned in, whispering as if the walls could hear. "Nam Durgin, Lysara Springwood, and Strek Mosscask."

Beth's eyebrows shot up in feigned surprise. "Durgin? As in Trudy's husband?"

"That's the one," Ms. Jennings confirmed with a nod. "The poor man."

"They’re old money, all of them, and people who have the kind of money most of us could never imagine," Ms. Jennings continued. She shuffled the papers on her desk, as if looking for something. "Still, they’re also good people, doing what they can to help Mystic Hollow. I mean, even right now, they’re all part of a group trying to protect a piece of Mystic Hollow woods. They wanted it declared protected land, so developers can’t come in and destroy it in the future."

"Oh?" I asked, my interest piqued by this new information.

"Yep." She found the paper she was looking for and tapped on it. "They say those woods are special. Full of history and... well, you know how stories go around here."

Beth leaned on the counter, nodding. "But why would anyone attack them over the lands, if that’s what’s happening?"

"I can't say for sure." Ms. Jennings shrugged. "But there's talk about the land being worth a lot. Lots of resources or something like that."

"What resources?" I echoed.

"I’m not sure, but there are two investors who really want those lands." She glanced at us with a conspiratorial squint. "They've been trying to buy the land and offering big money."

"From who?" Beth asked.

"Some man," Ms. Jennings waved dismissively. "He claims he's got the rights. But with this much money involved, no one is just taking his word on the matter..." She let the sentence trail off, shaking her head.

"Land disputes can get ugly," Beth said.

"Ugly enough for someone to get hurt?" My pulse quickened at the thought.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Ms. Jennings muttered, locking her gaze with ours. "Especially when there's big money on the table, big enough that people might do anything to claim it." She tapped the edge of her desk rhythmically.

"Thanks for the heads up." I patted my pocket with the keys she'd handed us.

"Stay safe, you two," Ms. Jennings called out as we turned to leave.

"Yes ma’am, we always do," Beth replied, and we walked out into the uncertain safety of late afternoon light, a new lead simmering between us.