Chapter 5

By noon,we had cleaned up the worst of it. I had gathered two boxes of broken crystals and bent jewelry, scratched blades and roughed up wands. The decks and books that had been scattered on the floor were destroyed. I wasn't sure what was water damage, or what had been soaked with other bodily fluids, but I wasn't going to sell any paper goods that looked even remotely like they had been peed on.

"I think we're about ready to mop. You should call a window repairman," Bree said. "I count four cracked windows. They're spiderwebbing, which tells me that they didn't get in through them, just threw rocks."

"That's what Daisy said. They cut the security alarm lines, then broke through the window to unlock the door. I ordered highly tempered glass, but it wasn't strong enough to resist whatever they used to bust through." I sighed, leaning on my broom. "I can't reopen till I clear up all the damage. And even then, what if they come back?"

"What if they come after you next time?" Bree said, pouring the last dustpan full of debris into the garbage basket. "Did you ask Daisy if she thinks it's…"

"The Butcher? She doesn't think so. Vampires can evade security alarm systems, for one thing, and if he was after me, he'd show up at the house, not my shop. But who the hell did do this?" I told Bree about the two unhappy customers from the day before. "I wonder if this has anything to do with either one of them."

"Well, the one thing we know is that the vandal did a damned good job. How much do you think this is going to cost you? Will you run it by your insurance?"

I knew that Bree was just trying to help, but frankly, I was too frantic to think.

"I don't know. I don't have any answers. Making a rough estimate…I'd say I lost about four thousand dollars worth of merchandise today. Not to mention what the costs are going to be to disinfect everything. The vandals peed all over the place. I'll have to call in a hazmat team. Who knows what kind of bacteria's infecting the floor right now?" I wasn't a germaphobe, but I also couldn't stomach letting people tramp through my shop, all the while knowing that someone had pissed on the floorboards.

"We should board up the broken windows for now. I'll take some pictures for you, first."

I stared at the panes that were spiderwebbed with fractured glass. "I'm going to call Bran and see if he can help. I'm exhausted, to be honest, and it's barely noon. Grams will be here at two." I started to sit down on the stool behind the counter and stopped. The cushion looked wet. Tears welling in my eyes, I motioned for Bree to follow me out into the blustery day. The rain was still holding off and it was overcast and breezy, but dry.

I led the way over to the patio by my house and sat on one of the composite resin benches. Pulling out my phone, I called Bran. He didn't answer, so I called May.

"Hey there, neighbor," she said. "What's up?"

"May, do you know where I can reach Bran? It's important."

"He's in the shower. He spent all morning tilling over the garden beds that are done for the season." She paused, then said, "You sound like something's wrong."

"There is. I wanted to ask if Bran can help me out this afternoon. Last night, someone broke into my shop and destroyed a lot of my merchandise and tore up the store, and peed all over the floor. Daisy's been here. She and her deputies took what evidence they could find, but there are four windows that need boarded up, and I'm exhausted. Bree and I just finished cleaning up the mess as best as we can for now, but I just want to make sure the shop is secure for now, while I figure out what to do in the immediate future."

May was silent for a moment, then said, "Bran and I will be over as soon as he's done. He'll take care of boarding up the windows, and I'm good for making tea and listening. We'll be there within half an hour. Meanwhile, go inside and rest. You should be safe while it's day time.

"Thanks," I said, grateful for her friendship and reassurance. "We'll see you when you get here."

Bree and I went back into the house and—after thoroughly washing our hands, we sat at the kitchen table in silence. Fancypants guided the kittens into the bedroom and I could hear them playing, but they left us alone to think.

* * *

Mayand Bran showed up twenty-five minutes later. May was carrying a large apple pie, and Bran had his work clothes on. I led them out to the shop and showed them what had happened, along with the trash bin full of debris and the box of broken crystals.

"I can't understand why anybody would want to do this." I turned to May, feeling a little lost. "Did you bring your cards? I'm wondering if this has to do with the woman in your last reading."

"I didn't, but I can use one of your decks, if you don't mind," May said, looking around.

"Whoever it was, they certainly did a number on your shop," Bran said, looking around. "Do you want all the windows boarded up for now, or just the broken panes? I can tell you that the best glassman in the town is on vacation until Monday, which is five days away. I can find you a different contractor, but they might be booked out for a few weeks."

"Board them all up for the time being," I said. "I don't want anybody coming back to finish destroying the place. If they can't get in…"

May put her arm around my shoulders. "Do you have any money in here?"

I nodded. "They left it—they didn't take the money. That alone tells me that this is personal. A group of teen delinquents would have taken the cash. There's over six hundred dollars in the register." I opened it and emptied the cash and checks into a bank envelope, then closed the register again.

"Now what?" Bree asked.

"You three go inside while I get to work here," Bran said, as he headed out to the car to get his tool belt and an electric drill. He fastened the tool belt around his waist, slinging it low on his hips, and as we left him to work, once again I felt gratitude for my friends. I needed them now more than ever.

* * *

Inside,I retrieved one of my spare tarot decks for May. I had a number of decks that I seldom used, mostly bought for their art work.

May, Bree, and I gathered around the kitchen table after putting on the kettle and cutting three pieces of the pie. As May began to shuffle the cards, my phone rang. It was the alarm company. I had left a message earlier.

"Hey, somebody cut the cords on my alarm last night and broke into my shop." I didn't feel up to small talk. "I want to know if the cords can be buried so they're difficult to disarm."

"Yes, we can, unless there's some underlying issue as to why not. May I place you on hold while I check your account? What's your name and PIN?"

The security company made us answer with a personal identification number any time we called so they knew they were talking to the legitimate account holder.

"Elphyra MacPherson. My PIN number is 3355071."

"Let me see here." She asked for my address. Then, after another moment, she said, "Yes, it looks like we can bury the lines for you. It will cost an extra thousand dollars given the length of your driveway and the travel time it takes our representatives and work teams to get there."

I sighed. A thousand dollars wasn't pocket change, but neither was cleaning up and replacing damaged goods from a break-in. I'd have to spring for the extra protection. And, an added benefit to burying the lines: they would stand up better to the wind and weather, too.

"All right. When can you upgrade my service?"

"We can be there on Sunday, sometime between two and four pm. Will that service window work for you?"

"That works," I said, grunting at the delay. I couldn't do anything to hurry them up, so decided I might as well take it in stride.

After I hung up, May finished shuffling the cards and she laid out three cards. The first was the ace of pentacles again, reversed. The second card was the five of swords, again, and the third was the four of cups.

"Okay, we've seen two of the cards before. The way I'm reading the ace of pentacles, given what we know now, is that this was a crime based on opportunity and a desire to destroy your business—to force you out of business, to be more concise. Whoever did this was patient, and given they had to wait until you were asleep and quiet tells me that, whoever it is, they've been watching you for some time."

"That's creepy," I said.

"Yes, it is. The second card—once again, the betrayal. Someone stabbing you in the back. I think this makes it obvious that your attacker feels betrayed by you. I know it, deep in my heart. Whoever did this to your shop is out for revenge for something you did."

I shook my head. "But I can't think of anybody that I've deliberately hurt or betrayed. I mean, my mother will sing you that song everyday but she knows she's spouting off hyperbole."

"Well, maybe you didn't do anything, or maybe it's something that you wouldn't see as betrayal. But there's a deep emotional wound hidden by this card." She picked up the four of cups. "As for this card—their focus is that you have what they want, not all the other wonderful things in their life. Your attacker's wearing blinders. They're ignoring everything positive in their own life while fixating on you and what you have. And that anger has turned into maliciousness. This is definitely an act of revenge," she said. "I'll say it again: whoever did this is trying to make you as miserable as they are, and they're blaming you for everything going wrong in their life."

As I stared at the cards, my jaw dropped. After a moment, I said, "I can't imagine who it is. All I know is that I'm flummoxed. I know that I can be a handful, and I'm not to everyone's tastes, but I didn't think I was enemy-material. Why are they doing this, though?"

"We'll figure out the why when we know the who," May said.

At that moment, my phone beeped. I checked my texts. Kyle had sent me a message from the hospital. they're taking faron into surgery. he's had a setback and they can't wait any longer. if you'd like to come, i'd appreciate it. i understand if you can't.

"I have to go. Kyle just told me they're taking Faron into surgery now." I glanced at my watch. "Grams arrives at two?—"

"I'll wait here," May said. "It will take Bran some time to cover up all the windows, and my guess is he's going to take care of a few other things. Run along and text me how things are going." She turned to Bree. "Take her to the hospital, would you? We can come pick her up."

"Are you sure? I can drive," I said, reaching for my keys.

"No," Bree said. "Let me do this. I have all afternoon open. I'll come with you."

I turned to Fancypants. "Help May if she asks. Watch after the kittens." I shrugged into a jacket and gathered my purse and an iPad. If Faron was going into surgery, he'd probably be in there for quite some time, especially since it was brain surgery.

"Will do," Fancypants said, waving one of his tiny hands at me. I waved back, then followed Bree outside.

As she escorted me to her car, I was grateful that she was going with me. I slid into the passenger seat, fastened my seat belt, and locked the door. She turned on the ignition and we were off, headed for the hospital, with me texting Kyle as we went.

* * *

The scentof hospitals was always a reminder of mortality—mortality and illness, of the frailty of the body and the vast number of things that could go wrong in this game we all called life. I hated the smells, though I didn't know if that had been engrained in me from some childhood trauma. I couldn't remember when my father died. Had I gone with my mother to the hospital? Did my general dislike stem from a disassociated memory that was stuck in some forgotten cranny of my brain? Or was it simply because I knew what it stood for?

Bree dropped me off at the front door. "I'll be in once I find a place to park."

I dashed over to the doors to the hospital. I wasn't sure where the operation would be taking place, so approached the reception area.

"May I help you?" the nurse asked.

"I'm looking for the waiting room where…a friend of mine is having brain surgery. It's experimental so…" I stopped, not sure what to ask.

"What's his name?"

"Faron Collinsworth. His brother Kyle should be waiting for me."

"Here we go," she said, scanning a list on her computer. "He's in operating room 3-B, in the Neurosurgical Unit. Here," she added, pulling out a piece of paper with a map on it. She drew a line in pen along the winding hallways. "You're here. Follow the green line on the wall until it turns purple, then follow the purple line on the wall to the Purple Waiting Room. Our waiting rooms here are color coded."

I followed her finger as she traced the route. "Thank you. Should I check in with the desk there?"

"Please do. Here, take this to guide you." She handed me the map and, carrying it, I began to follow the labyrinth that was the Starlight Hollow Hospital. For the size of our town, the hospital was surprisingly robust, but when catering to Otherkin patients as well as human, the machinery and medical bases had to be more complex.

I followed the map through the twisting hallways, finally coming to the place where the green line on the wall gave way to the purple one. Then, it was less than a minute before I reached the reception area for the Neurosurgical Unit.

I checked in at the front desk. "My name is Elphyra MacPherson. I'm looking for Kyle Collinsworth?—"

"Elphyra!" Kyle came jogging up. "Thank you for coming."

I checked in with the reception desk, then followed Kyle back to the waiting room, where I texted Bree the directions. "My friend Bree's coming. I hope you don't mind."

"Mind? Not at all," he said. "Anything that helps you get through this."

"When do they start?" I asked. "Or have they started?"

"They're due to begin the operation in about ten minutes. I'm sorry I didn't have the chance to text you soon enough so that you could see him before, but he wasn't awake, anyway."

"I'm just grateful you let me know," I said, sitting beside him and crossing one leg over the other. I laid my purse on the seat next to me, but kept my jacket on. Hospitals were always chilly. While I recognized that they needed to maintain a certain temperature to combat bacterial growth, that didn't stop the temperature from giving me the shivers.

"Did the doctor say why they have to go in now?"

Kyle winced, looking more defeated than I ever remembered seeing him. "Yeah. Faron's brainwave activity took a sudden nosedive this morning. He's bleeding in the brain, so they have to go in. While they're doing so, they asked me if they should go ahead with the experimental surgery. I decided they might as well, since they're going to be inside his skull anyway. Why chance opening him up twice, if they can do both at once?"

I shivered for real, then. The thought of them poking around in Faron's brain made me queasy. How easy would it be for the doctor to slip and boom—permanent brain damage? But I kept my fears to myself. Kyle needed hope now, not more fears to focus on.

"How long of a wait are we in for?" I asked.

"To fix the bleeders? Probably two hours. The experimental surgery? Another four. So we have a long ways to go. You don't have to stay, though. I don't expect you to."

I glanced around. There were two other men in the waiting room, but I had the feeling they weren't waiting on relatives. They had the same feel as Faron and Kyle. "Who are they?"

"Bodyguards. When I got the news about Faron, the council went ahead and transferred the powers of kingship to me on a temporary basis. If he dies, I become king. If he lives, then he'll resume his leadership once he's able. But it's been too long, we need leadership and I'm the next in line. I took my oath of office an hour ago. The Eldership came to the hospital with me." Kyle tugged on his collar, looking vaguely uncomfortable. "Those men are my bodyguards. Because the situation is so precarious, the Eldership doesn't want to leave me unguarded."

I knew that Kyle didn't want to be king, and that he wanted nothing more than for his brother to come out of the coma and for everything to go back to normal.

"How do you feel about that?" I asked, watching as the two bodyguards watched us. Their gaze seemed to flicker over me, but then they looked away again, either unimpressed or unconcerned.

"You know how I feel," Kyle said, his voice low. "But this is not the place to discuss these matters, so let's change the subject."

At that moment, Bree showed up. She was carrying a tray with three large coffee cups in it. "I thought Kyle would be here, too. I stopped at the espresso stand in the lobby and got three caramel lattes. Triple shots. Kyle, would you like one?"

He nodded, but before he could accept it, one of the men was standing beside him. Kyle silently handed the cup to him, and the man tasted the drink. Bree and I watched in silence, and after a moment, the man glanced at something on his phone, then handed the cup to Kyle without a word. I gave Bree a quiet shake of the head and she handed me my latte. I felt awkward sitting three in a row right next to each other, so I moved over to the banquette against left wall, and Bree joined me. I kicked off my shoes and folded my feet beneath me, hoping I wouldn't catch hell from the nurses.

"It's going to be awhile," I said. "You don't have to stay."

"I'm fine, for awhile. I'll need to go let Atlas and Oscar out to pee, and feed them after awhile, but I've got some time." She sighed. "I'm so sorry, again about your shop. What happened sucks."

"It does. I guess I should contact my insurance agency. I did have an alarm, so they can't fault me for not having one. It's going to cost me a thousand for a new one, and while I have the money—that's not an issue—it's still a lot. You don't become rich by spending every cent."

I glanced around, wanting desperately to focus on something other than the break-in or Faron. My gaze fell on the television, where some game show was playing. The closed captions were on, and the sound was down low.

"So," I said after a moment, "what's going on with you? I need distraction. Tell me what's new in your life. We haven't had a chance to have a heart to heart the past few weeks."

Bree's busy season was over, but she still had expeditions coming in, and she was in the middle of overhauling her offerings.

"Well, I led an eight-person expedition about ten days ago, for a three-day camping trip. That was…eventful. I haven't told you yet because…" She let out a grunt. "Well, the truth is that I wanted to wait to see what kind of fallout I'm facing. It all came down yesterday. I'm being sued."

That was a bomb to drop without warning. "You're being sued? Why? Who's bringing the lawsuit? And…why?"

"I guess I should start from the beginning, or it's not going to make any sense."

Bree was about to dive in, when a nurse entered the waiting room. Kyle jumped up and motioned for me to join him.

"Excuse me," I said. "I'll be right back." I hurried over to Kyle's side.

"The doctor asked me to let you both know that they've officially begun the surgery on Faron. His vitals are holding steady so far, and we'll update you when we have any more information." She turned and—before either of us could say a word—bounced off with an all-too chipper step.

I glanced at Kyle. "Well, I guess that's that. We settle down to wait, now."

"Go back to your friend," he said, smiling gently. "We have a long ways to go. I'm going to get a bite to eat. Do you want anything?"

I tried to remember what I'd eaten earlier but couldn't. It was past lunch time, now. "Yeah, if you could bring me back a ham and cheese sandwich, and some potato chips—and maybe a bottle of sparkling water?" I glanced back at Bree. "Bree, want anything to eat?"

"I could go for a protein box, if they have something like that. Or hardboiled eggs and some cheese—whatever."

I reached for my purse, but Kyle stopped me.

"I've got this. You go talk to Bree." He motioned to his men and they turned in unison, following him out of the waiting room.